Yugi's Gift
by Poncho D
Summary: Yugi makes a brief visit to Tenchi's family to set things aright, and gives them a gift that will change their lives.
1. Arrival

Yugi's Gift  
by Poncho D  
Heh Heh. Just read and review. Trust me.  
  
Chapter One  
  
The young man was bone weary when he entered his house late that afternoon. He could already smell wonderful cooking, even past the stale odor of his own sweat. Heaving a big sigh of relief, Tenchi Masaki gave a friendly greeting to the little girl who stood at the kitchen stove, slaving away to make the meal that he, and everyone else in his rather unusual household, was looking forward to.  
Sasami. He smiled when he thought of how comical she looked, four-foot, seven-inch, nine-year old frame lost in front of the colossal stove. But her skill in the culinary arts was no laughing matter. Sasami produced meals that rivaled those of the best restaraunts in Kurashiki.  
He entered the living room and nodded to the silver-haired woman who sat on the couch watching TV. "Afternoon, Tenchi," she greeted. Tenchi tensed, but Ryoko Hakubi did not jump him and start sexually harassing him, as she would have done two years ago. "You gonna be at the lake tonight?" she asked. Tenchi often took a stroll down to Lake Funaho at night, just to enjoy the time outdoors. "I don't know yet," he replied nonchalantly. "Probably. See you at dinner, Ryoko."  
He went upstairs and took a shower, scrubbing away the dirt and grime of another day's farming. When he was clean, he did not turn off the water, but stood under the shower for a few more minutes, enjoying the feel of the pounding water as it relaxed his tense, aching muscles.  
It was the kind of peaceful, almost boring life that Tenchi had been living for the last two years, and he loved it. Though he would never want to go back to the life he lived before he had met the six alien females who now shared his home, wouldn't trade them for anything, it was good to have things orderly and predictable again. He and the girls had been through hell and back several times since Ryoko's landing on Earth. First Kagato, then Doctor Clay and his band of madmen, then Yugi, the Ice Queen. Literally.  
Since his last great battle, life had slowed down considerably, and he now had time in his day to stop and breathe, to look around and appreciate the beautiful forest, Sasami's food, all the little things that made life worth the trouble.  
He turned off the shower, his fingers wrinkled from the water, stepped out and wrapped a towel around his waist. He entered his bedroom and was pulling his pants on when he realized he had forgotten to shave.  
He sat on his bed and opened his nightstand drawer to dig for his razor, and immediately wished that he hadn't.  
There it was, staring at him, undeniable and unmerciful. He picked up the photograph, which he had tried unsuccessfully to hide from himself for such a long time.  
The photo was framed, and depicted a younger Tenchi, with a happy grin on his face. Next to him was a girl, a pretty one, about his age, her arm thrown across his shoulders, short, dark hair hanging in front of her ears. Like Tenchi, she wore a jubilant, open-mouthed smile, and her sea-green eyes sparkled with blissful happiness.  
He looked out the window at the setting sun, away from the photo, feeling the tightness in his throat. Dammit, he cursed mentally, I refuse to cry.  
A single tear had leaked out of his right eye by the time he managed to stop himself. Fortunately, it had dried when the knock sounded at the door.  
"Come in," he called.  
It was Ryoko. "Dinner's ready," she said. "Whatcha got?"  
"Nothing," he said brusquely, quickly placing the picture back in the drawer and closing it.  
Of course, Ryoko already knew what it was: she had seen the picture before.  
She came over and sat next to him on the bed. There was a tense silence for a few seconds.  
"You miss her." Ryoko said quietly.  
"Yeah," he admitted without hesitation. In the old days, her statement would have been a question, a loaded one, the buxom alien woman just waiting for him to make one little slip-up, then railing at him about how horrible he was.  
But no longer. Ryoko had changed during the course of their adventures involving Yugi. She was still a "free spirit", mischievious and flirtatious, still drank alcohol regularly. But the selfishness and arrogance she had shown before their ordeal was gone, burned out by the constant adversity Yugi had put them all through. Much like Tenchi's life, she had mellowed out considerably.  
"Look," she said at length, "It's alright, Tenchi. I understand how you feel, and I told you before, I don't mind."  
"But Ryoko--" he started.  
"Shhhh," she whispered, placing a finger on his lips. "You don't have to explain anything, Tenchi. You loved Sakuya, and you still do. And she loved you, too." She laughed. "At least the person you fell for was worthy of you." Hotsuma, her own summer fling, hadn't been worthy of anything but getting his balls cut off, which she would have gleefully done, had she been given the chance. "But what I'm telling you is, I meant what I said about us being strictly friends. That wasn't some guilt trip." She held out her arms. "Come here." The two hugged. It was not a romantic embrace, but simply a hug between two old friends, who often leaned on one another in difficult times.  
"Come on," she said, getting up from the bed. "Let's go eat."  
  
After the sun had set, the others appeared at the table for dinner. Polite but haughty Ayeka, the crown princess of the planet Jurai, who studiously avoided making eye contact with Tenchi. Sweet, air-headed Mihoshi, pulling her curly blond hair back from her gorgeous figure, her plate heaped unreasonably high with Sasami's hibachi rice and teriyaki chicken. Her older and more reserved partner Kiyone, a captain in the Galaxy Police, a woman who would stop at nothing to reach the pinnacle of her profession.  
Finally, there was Washu. By far the strangest of the girls, she was brilliant but highly eccentric. The short, red-headed scientist was rarely seen, locking herself in her extradimensional laboratory under the staircase, coming out only to eat or use the bathroom, or to speak briefly to her daughter, Ryoko.   
The only men in the household were Tenchi himself, his father Noboyuki, and grandfather Katsuhito.  
"So," Tenchi asked, looking at Mihoshi but addressing all of them, "what did you guys do in town today?" Ayeka, Kiyone, Washu, and Mihoshi had been out all day, running errands in Ayeka's car, a beautiful Lexus ES-300 she had purchased purely for the sake of having one.  
"Oh, it was so much fun!" Mihoshi bubbled. "We went to the mall in Kurashiki, and I saw this cute little summer outfit! I didn't have any money today, but I'll buy it one of these days!"  
"Mihoshi," Kiyone laughed, "that halter top and those little shorts cost four hundred bucks! Try one of these years."  
Mihoshi stuck her tongue out at Kiyone, and returned to her food.   
"Say," Noboyuki put in, "I bet you girls got some looks, tooling around in a set of wheels like that." His own car was a rusty old Volvo.  
"Not really," Washu replied, "It's a big city, everybody there has cars like that. But for some strange reason, everyone in town seemed to be staring at me." She tugged at her vest, a cocky grin on her face.  
"If the rest of us looked as odd as you," Ayeka said, speaking for the first time that evening, "I suppose we would be getting some strange looks, too."  
"Ayeka!" Tenchi objected.  
"I apologize, that was uncalled for," Ayeka conceded. She looked over at Katsuhito. "May I be excused, please?"  
"Of course," Katushito said.  
Ayeka rose and strode gracefully from the room, headed toward the stairs in the living room.  
"What was that all about?" Kiyone asked quizzically when the princess was gone.  
Tenchi shook his head. If Ryoko, he thought, had matured over the last two years, Ayeka had gone the other direction, becoming even colder and more distant than before. Even her little sister Sasami could not seem to penetrate the emotional wall she had built.  
"Who knows?" Ryoko said dismissively. "Probably just missed her soaps this afternoon."  
  
After dinner, Tenchi went on his evening stroll, accompanied by Ryoko and, surprisingly, Mihoshi, who was normally an indoors person.  
When they reached the lake, he sat on the dew-soaked ground, not caring about getting his pants wet. Mihoshi and Ryoko sat on either side of him, and the three gazed silently up at the stars for a few minutes.  
"What's that one?" Mihoshi asked suddenly, causing Tenchi to jump, having been used to the quiet. She was pointing at an enormous bright blue star, just a smidgen to the left of the Milky Way. Tenchi was surprised she didn't know, considering all the time she spent in space.  
"Uhhhh," Tenchi paused, racking his mind for the name. "Let me see, not Deneb, not Altair, uhhhh..."  
"Vega," Ryoko supplied with a grin. "I knocked off a bank in that system once."  
"There's so many of them," Tench marveled, remembering the times he had spent in space, fighting some battle or having some crazy adventure. "It sure is pretty up there."  
Ryoko shrugged. "Sure, it's beautiful in some places. But it's cold and lonely. Pretty place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there."  
"Kiyone and I had to patrol the Orion Nebula once," Mihoshi chimed in. "It was gorgeous, like a gigantic sunset--"  
"TENCHI!!" someone yelled. Tenchi jumped to his feet, reaching toward his belt to make sure his sword was there. The voice sounded like Washu's. "Come on, you two," Tenchi said. They rose and followed him as he sprinted toward the source of the sound.  
He ran smack into Washu, who was being followed by Sasami. They were both out of breath, wild-eyed looks on their faces.  
"What's going on?" Tenchi asked, looking closely at Washu to make sure he hadn't inadvertently injured her.  
"She's back!" Sasami blurted.  
"Who?" Tenchi asked, totally baffled. "Who's back? What are you guys talking about?"  
"Just come home with us, Tenchi," Washu said calmly. "Trust me, you want to see this."  
  
When Tenchi and his two companions arrived back at the house, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Come in the living room," Washu commanded.  
When he turned the corner, his jaw dropped.  
Ayeka and Kiyone were sitting on the couch, numb with shock.  
Standing in the middle of the room was a young girl, about Sasami's age. Her long blond hair fell to her hips in tresses, and she gazed at him with ice-blue eyes. She was dressed in an oversized kimono that covered her feet.  
"Yugi!" Tenchi breathed, his eyes wide with amazement. "So soon..."  
"Two years," she said softly. "Please, do not be frightened. I mean you no harm."  
Tenchi sat on the couch next to Kiyone, wondering what the hell was going on.  
"May I?" Yugi asked Katsuhito, gesturing to a chair across from the couch. Katsuhito nodded, and she sank into the chair.  
Yugi spread her arms, addressing everyone in the room. "As you can see, I have awakened. And as promised, I am no longer your enemy."  
"Liar!" Ayeka screamed. "You tore this family apart, and you...you--"  
"Please," Yugi interrupted the princess's tirade. "Do not remind me of what I did. I have had two years to think over all the pain and misery my actions caused, and my spirit cried many tears of guilt while I was sealed away." Turning her attention back to her audience, she continued her explanation.  
"Tsunami has decided that I have learned my lesson, at that it is time for me to return to my normal life. But first, I must make amends.  
"I have come here tonight to apologize. To all of you, for the terrible mess I made of your lives. But for those whom I caused the most suffering of all, I have something special. Tenchi, Ryoko, and Sasami. Please come here, and stand in front of me."  
Cautiously, Tenchi approached the chair, left hand tightening around the hilt of Tenchi-ken. Sasami and Ryoko followed him, mystified as to what Yugi had in store for them.  
"Sasami," she said gently, the warmth in her voice contrasting the sharp cold of her eyes, "just so that no one will misunderstand, may I touch you, just once?"  
Sasami gave her a puzzled look. She was badly frightened, but trying not to show it. "Okay," she said meekly, showing an awkward blush.  
Yugi reached up with her right hand, and gently stroked Sasami's cheek. "I see in your eyes that you believe my words, and that your heart is full of forgiveness for me. It is what I expected of you, my sweet-natured friend. Even though I betrayed you, and tried to destroy those you hold dear, you hold no ill will towards me." She pulled her hand away, reaching into the folds of her robe. "I hope that you enjoy these." She produced two gleaming gold pieces of jewelry; a pair of broaches, obviously meant for styling long hair.  
Ayeka gasped. "My goodness, Sasami, they're beautiful!"  
"Oooohhh, that's pretty," Mihoshi added, gazing at the gold.  
"Wow, that's pretty neat," Noboyuki approved.  
"They are real gold," Yugi informed Sasami, who was sliding out the little marble balls, replacing them with the broaches, "and worth well over forty thousand dollars each. Not that any amount of money would be sufficient, of course. Now then, there is one more thing for you, Sasami." What she produced next made Sasami's eyes tear up with joy. "You saw this music box first," Yugi said, handing her the object, "and you certainly deserved it far more than I did at the time."  
Sasami shocked everyone by giving Yugi a long, tight hug. "Thank you so much, Yugi," she whispered, sobbing against Yugi's shoulder. "This means so much to me."  
"Sasami," Yugi said, releasing her and giving her a warm smile, "you are such a wonderful, kind and caring person, and you will go far in your life because of it. Don't ever change."  
She looked up as Sasami sat, dazed, on the couch. "Now then," she continued, "Ryoko?"  
"What?" Ryoko said. Her tone was not biting or resentful, just wary.  
"I see in your face the burden of your age, that Sasami has not yet had to experience. I played a terrible trick on you: my servant Hotsuma was even more cruel and controlling to you than I thought he would be. May you never again be subjected to the tricks of such an evil man. But even if you are, I hope you will restrain yourself from using this."  
Reaching behind her, she held out with both hands a sheathed forty-eight inch, samurai-style katana.  
Taking the weapon, Ryoko uncovered the blade. "Wow, this is cool," she said, waving the sword about slowly.  
"Ryoko," Ayeka scolded her, "stop brandishing that thing about. You'll cut someone's head off with it!"  
"Hey, now there's an idea," Ryoko said with an evil chuckle, placing the point against Ayeka's chin. "You have anyone specific in mind?"  
"Knock it off, Ryoko," Tenchi said wearily. "Come on, put it up now."  
"I see you are still very much your old, mischiefous self, Ryoko," Yugi laughed. "But you have matured in many ways, and I think you will do well. Tenchi?"  
The room went dead silent. Everyone wondered what Tenchi's gift would be, but Washu smirked. She aleady knew.  
Yugi stood, looking up at Tenchi. He was struck by the cold blue of her gaze, but for a moment she looked familiar in a very strange way. He never knew, indeed he would have been shocked if it had occured to him at all.  
"Tenchi," she whispered, "you have born the greatest burden of everyone here." She reached up and traced some sort of strange, invisible symbol on his forehead with her finger. "So much blood on your hands, though you had no choice but to shed it.   
The deception I used against you was similar to the one I visited on Ryoko, but it took an unexpected direction, and because of this, it was the most cruel and heart-breaking act of all. Therefore, the only way I can truely make amends with you is to offer to you the greatest gift of all."  
"What," Tenchi gulped, "is that?"  
"Why, I believe," Yugi said with a chuckle, "according to the Judeo-Christian Bible, it is of course, love." She reached up and snapped her fingers above her head.  
Tenchi hadn't even noticed Washu leave the room. But when she appeared, coming slowly down the stairs, she was followed by another person. Together, the two girls walked to the center of the room.  
Her appearance had changed so much, that it took Tenchi a moment to recognize her.   
She wore a plain white robe. Her hair had grown long, and now hung to her waist, and she was a little taller, and fuller-figured. But the pretty, round face and emerald eyes were unmistakable.  
For a moment, Tenchi just gawked. His voice trembled when he spoke: "Sa...Sakuya?"  
"Yes," she said, tears of joy brimming in her eyes. She held out her arms. "It's me, Tenchi."  
Tenchi leapt over the coffee table, knocking over and destroying several of the dishes on it, and ran to her. They embraced, and he picked her up off of the floor, spinning her around.  
At first there were no words between them, because they were sharing a passionate kiss, to the applause of their entire audience.  
"Oh, God," Tenchi breathed, his arms still around her, "I thought I would never see you again!" He pulled back and gazed at her face, running his fingers through her long, raven hair. "You look so different!"  
"I haven't had a haircut in two years," she chuckled. "I think it looks better like this. And how long have you had this?" She reached behind him and stroked his long pony-tail.  
"Since I got back from Tokyo...Dear God, I can't believe you're back!"  
"Okay, okay," Washu broke in, taking Tenchi gently by the wrist. "Now that you two have had your little reunion, I need for Sakuya to--where's Ayeka?"  
Everyone looked around, not having noticed Ayeka was missing. That is, everyone except for Sakuya, who wasn't even certain which one was Ayeka.  
Ryoko shook her head. "I'll go talk to her," she said with a sigh, heading for the stairs.  
"Good," Washu said cheerfully. "Sakuya, come with me, please."  
  
Ryoko knocked softly on Ayeka's bedroom door. There was no response. Slowly, she pushed open the door, and peered into the room.   
She winced.  
Ayeka was lying on her futon, staring at the ceiling. The room was totally trashed. All of Ayeka's favorite sentimental possessions were strewn about the floor, most of them demolished. The window was shattered.  
"Feel better?" Ryoko said.  
"Go away," Ayeka said quietly, her voice totally devoid of emotion.  
"Hell of a temper tantrum you had in here," Ryoko commented.  
"I said leave."  
"Say it all day if you want," Ryoko snapped. "That's not going to make it happen." She willed herself to calm down. "Listen, Princess, it's time for you to grow up. We both fought over that man like cats and dogs, and in the end we both lost. Tenchi has his girl now, and you know what? I don't care that it isn't me."  
She was silent for a moment, giving Ayeka a chance to respond, but the princess said nothing.  
"I don't care," Ryoko continued. "For God's sake, I haven't seen him this happy in two years."  
"I love him," Ayeka finally said.  
"So what?" Ryoko yelled. "I was in love in with him, too, Ayeka! But all I want now is to see him happy."  
Ayeka sat up. "Happy how?" she asked. "With that snot-nosed little bitch?"  
Enough was enough. "You watch it, Princess!" Ryoko yelled, pointing her finger at Ayeka. "I love Tenchi, and he loves Sakuya! That means she's my friend too. So you watch your mouth around her, and Tenchi too!"  
Ayeka said nothing.  
"Fine," Ryoko said quietly. "You know what? You stay up here and feel sorry for yourself. I'm going back down to see Yugi off." With that, she turned and left.  
  
Sakuya was freezing. She lay, naked, on the exam table in Washu's heavily air-conditioned lab, rubber tubing and electrodes covering her body.  
Washu glanced back over her shoulder at her patient. She felt sorry for having to do this, but it was necessary, just out of precaution. She turned her attention back to her computer screen. When the next screen of data popped up, she tapped the PRINT key, and the printer chattered obediently.  
When it was finished, she tore the paper off and glanced at it. About halfway down the page, her eyebrows popped up.  
"Yep, she's real alright," Washu muttered to herself, stroking her chin. "Boy, is she real."  
  
"So, what are you gonna do now, Yugi?" Sasami asked.  
"Why don't you stay here with us?" Mihoshi offered. "You could sleep in me and Kiyone's room, and we've got--"  
"Thank you," Yugi interrupted, "but I think that decision is up to head of the household." She nodded to Katsuhito. "In any case," she continued, "although that was my original plan, I no longer feel it would be wise for me to live among you. This family is large already, and I have much to do.  
"Since Tsunami has forbidden me to ever return to my home universe, I have decided to go make a life for myself on this world. I have an adult form, so I will be able to get a job, purchase a home, and fend for myself. I may drop in from time to time, to see how you are all faring."  
They all sat for a while longer, chatting quietly, when Washu and Sakuya emerged from the lab. The others looked up at them, waiting.  
"Well," Washu reported cheerfully, "she's a little malnourished, and pregnant, but no serious problems. Blood sugar's a little high, but--"  
"Hold on!" Ryoko suddenly interrupted, her eyeballs about to pop out of her head. "Back up. You said she's undernourished and WHAT?!"  
"Well, hell," Washu said indignantly, hands on her hips. "If you hadn't eaten in two years, you'd be ready for a good hot meal, too. But, uh," she glanced back down at the readout, "yep, sure enough. About three weeks along. Can't tell the gender yet, but definitely no doubt about it." She turned to Sakuya. "Take care of yourself, honey. Your little one is going to need plenty of help."  
So far, Ryoko noticed, no one in the stunned audience had bothered to ask the obvious question about Sakuya's pregnancy. Ryoko wasn't sure what was more surprising, the fact that Tenchi asked the question first or that he beat everyone else to it.  
"Ummm, who's the father?"  
Washu put her hands on her hips and gave Tenchi an irate glare. "Now that," she said indignantly, "is obviously confidential, and frankly none of anyone's--"  
"Actually," Sakuya interrupted, her quiet voice managing to stop Washu's tirade, "this is kind of embarrassing, but technically, it's Yugi."  
That got bizarre looks from everyone.  
Ryoko laughed uproariously. "Let me this straight," she cackled, "You managed to get pregnant by *another girl*!"  
Sakuya was looking at the floor, her face red as an apple. Washu stepped up to Ryoko, and placed her face inches from her daughter's smirk. "This is *not* funny, Ryoko. Now kill the dirty jokes, before I kill you!"  
"I can explain," Yugi said, as Ryoko, now thoroughly dressed down, sat on the couch. "I planted a child in Sakuya's womb when I returned her to this planet. I wanted the two of you to know the joy of having a child, without the moral difficulties normally involved. Think of it as my gift to both of you. And by the way, I made sure the child will most resemble Sakuya, so as to avoid any embarrassing questions from outsiders."  
Tenchi was utterly stunned. He couldn't get over the fact that she was pregnant at all, let alone by some bizarre form of immaculate conception.  
Sakuya smiled when she saw the look on his face. She put a hand on her abdomen. "I'm sorry, Tenchi, but I didn't have time to tell you earlier."  
Yugi stood. "Yes, I suppose you both have a lot of catching up to do. I must leave now. I take it my apology is accepted?"  
Katsuhito stepped over and knelt in front of the girl. "Yugi," he said, "what you have done for my grandson and my entire family more than covers your transgressions." To Yugi's surprise, the old man embraced her. "Go now," he said, "and may you have all the good fortune that God can bestow upon you."  
She pulled back from him, and addressed everyone. "Thank you, all of you. Farewell."  
With that she bowed her head, and simply vanished. 


	2. First Day

Chapter Two  
  
It was a little chilly today, but the late morning sunlight on Tenchi's shoulders kept him warm, despite the brisk wind. He swept the broom back and forth across the path to the Funaho shrine, thinking about last night's events.  
  
Sakuya had slept on the couch, Washu promising to build a room for her, off the lab underneath the stairs, as soon as she could get around to it.  
  
Ryoko had told him about the argument with Ayeka, but despite both their fears, the princess had behaved herself well this morning, only giving the newcomer the occasional resentful glance over the breakfast table.  
  
Tenchi's night had been full of bizarre dreams, probably a product of going to bed so late, and with such overwhelming emotions racing through him. In one such dream, he had watched Sakuya stumbling about, fourteen months pregnant, her belly so enormous it could hold a grown man. In another, he had been millimeters from kissing her, when she suddenly became, of all people, Mihoshi. Mihoshi/Sakuya had then gone into labor on his living room floor.  
  
He hummed a tune, smiling to himself as he swept his way up the steps, wondering what lay in store for the family in general, he and Sakuya in particular.  
  
He heard the crackle of leaves underfoot behind him, and turned around. There she stood, holding two glasses of lemonade. He was relieved to see that she possessed neither a four-foot-protruding abdomen nor curly blond hair. She was dressed in her little white t-shirt with the letters KM on the front, and a pair of blue jeans.  
  
"Morning, Tenchi," she said brightly, strolling up and handing him a glass.  
  
"Hello, Sakuya," he greeted in return, sipping his lemonade. She followed him over to the steps, and together they sat in silence, holding hands and enjoying the beautiful morning weather.  
  
"So, are you getting used to things here?" He then chided himself for asking such a silly question. She hadn't even been here for twenty-four hours yet.  
  
"Not really," she replied, "I'm still trying to put names with all the faces. But that tall girl with the silver hair..."  
  
"Ryoko," he supplied.  
  
"Yes, Ryoko. She showed me around the house a little, so I'm starting to learn my way around. She's really nice."  
  
Tenchi laughed. "Well, that's good. Her and Ayeka really had it in for you the last time you were here."  
  
Sakuya remembered the incident well. Tenchi had come home briefly from Tokyo for a visit, bringing her along. Upon Tenchi's introduction of her, Ryoko and that other girl had immediately accused her of all sorts of terrible things she would never have even dreamed of doing.  
  
"But Ryoko's changed a lot since all that happened," Tenchi went on. "I think you two will get along pretty well." He decided to change the subject, before she asked about Ayeka. "So, what are you going to name the baby?"  
  
"I don't know yet," she said thoughtfully. "I kind of like the name Ryu, or maybe Miyako if it's a girl."  
  
They were silent for another few minutes, basking in one another's company. Then Tenchi asked her something he had been curious about.   
  
"Sakuya?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"What's it like, being back? I mean, uh, I guess what I really mean is, what was it like when you came back? How exactly did Yugi do it? Before, she told us you were--"  
  
"Just a shadow," she interrupted, "I know. It was only partly true."  
  
She turned away from him, gazing at the sunlight sparkling through the trees. Her voice sounded a little forlorn.  
  
"My people are spirits, immortal and free-roaming. We did much as we pleased, never hurting anyone. Then Yugi came, and enslaved us. We don't even know where she came from."  
  
Tenchi did know, but he didn't want to interrupt her.  
  
"She did cruel things to all of us. Those who opposed her, since she couldn't kill them, were imprisoned inside energy barriers, meant to cause pure pain, and left there, to scream."  
  
Tenchi tried to glance at her face, hoping she wasn't crying as she spoke.  
  
"Some of us were put to her use. She gave me the body you see now, and sent me here to distract you, to make you fall in love with me. My physical body was, and still is, her creation."  
  
She turned and smiled at him. "But I fell in love with you, too, and Yugi realized her plan had messed up. So she pulled me back to the spirit realm, and took away my old body.  
  
"When you defeated her, after our last talk, I returned to my people, and we went back to the way things were, roaming about freely, playing and celebrating our freedom.  
  
"But I wasn't really very happy. I missed you, and when Yugi awoke, I asked her to send me back. She even gave me my body back, though a little different."  
  
"So what was it like?" Tenchi asked.  
  
"Have you ever gone to sleep in one place," she asked, "and when you drift off you start to think you're somewhere else?"  
  
Tenchi nodded; it had happened to him several times.  
  
"It was kind of like that. Everything around me kind of faded, and suddenly I felt cold. Then I opened my eyes, and I was there," she pointed at a spot on the far side of Lake Funaho. "It was raining, and I was naked, so when Washu found me, she took me back to your house and gave me some clean, dry clothing."  
  
Tenchi was shocked. "You mean Washu was...!"  
  
Sakuya laughed, "Yep. She was in on it all along."  
  
"I should have known," Tenchi said with mock indignation, "that little stinker. She could have just told me you were here!"  
  
"What's the matter?" She put down her drink and draped her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, placing her face inches from his. "Didn't you like our little reunion?"  
  
"Mmmmm," Tenchi mumbled as she pressed her lips against his. He released her momentarily, and said, "I'd like a few more reunions." They shared a few more quick kisses.  
  
"Hey, do you two need a room, or what?" A familiar female voice asked in a dour Midwest accent.  
  
Tenchi quickly extricated himself from Sakuya. "Washu," he said irately to the little red-head at the bottom of the steps, "you old bat, you knew what was going on the whole time!"  
  
"Of course I did," she quipped with a confident grin. "How could the Greatest Scientific Genius in the Universe have not known? But I couldn't spoil your surprise, now could I? Anyhow, you two need to come back to the house for a minute. Family meeting."  
  
"Okay," Washu said, in the living room back at the house. "Here's the deal. Sakuya, I've finished your room. I designed it according to your tastes, so you ought to like it." She turned to the others. "I shouldn't have to say that I had better not catch anyone back there without both her permission and mine." Tenchi was relieved that she did not stare at him as she spoke.  
  
"Now then," Washu went on, "I have only one major ground rule here." She looked at Ryoko and Ayeka as she continued: "Sakuya is a member of this family now, and I expect to see her treated with the same kind of respect as Ryoko, or Mihoshi, or myself, or any of you. If I see any of the kind of crap I saw last time, I promise the perpetrator will be in deep kimchi. Everyone understand?"  
  
The others all nodded, except for Ryoko.  
  
Sorry, Ryoko, Washu telepathed to her daughter. It's nothing personal, but I couldn't say it to Ayeka without saying it to you, too.  
  
Yeah, Ryoko thought back, I know where you're coming from.  
  
"Alright, then," she said, standing. "Meeting adjourned. I'd like to let everyone take a gander at the new room just once, just to kill off any burning curiosity."  
  
The family filed into Washu's lab, and over to a door on the left that had never been there before.  
  
Washu opened the door, and they peered inside.  
  
The room was softly lit, since there were no windows, but other than that, Tenchi thought it bore a striking resemblence to his own. There was a big double bed in the far left corner, and a small desk on the near wall, to his left. On the right side of the room were two doors. One was obviously a closet, but he wondered what the other one was for?  
  
Sakuya entered the room and looked about. "Like it?" Washu asked.  
  
"It's terrific!", Sakuya said, gazing about at her surroundings.  
  
"Check out the closet." Washu said.  
  
Sakuya opened the closet, and inside were several outfits that looked familiar. But her eyes were drawn to one garment in particular. She gave a gasp of surprise as she lifted down a large kimono from a hook. It was dark green, with blue and silver dragons embroidered on either side, on the front. "It's beautiful!" she marveled.  
  
Washu shrugged. "I picked that one because it matches your eyes and hair so well. The other stuff is all of your old outfits, only adjusted for size, and a dress for special occasions. Try the other door now."  
  
Behind the other door was a little washroom, complete with toilet, sink and shower stall.  
  
"Wow, a private bathroom!" Mihoshi said. "That's really cool, Sakuya!"  
  
"But why does she get her own bathroom?" Ayeka objected. "The rest of us certainly don't, and I see no reason why she should be any different."  
  
"As a matter of fact, one of us does," Washu replied without batting an eye. "Tenchi has one in his room, and for a damn good reason." She had installed Tenchi's private shower a while back, so that he would be protected from Ryoko's constant invasions. Sorry again, Ryoko, she thought, but you know it's nothing against you.  
  
I hope not, *Mom*. That's two now; I'm a forgiving person, but don't push it.  
  
"In this case, the private facilities are more for my benefit than anyone else's. This way, Sakuya, you can take care of your business without having to go through my lab. Okay," she turned back to her audience, "everybody's seen the place, now scat! And remember, this area is off limits."  
  
As they were leaving, Ryoko elbowed Sakuya. "Hey," she said, giving her a wink, "I've got something cool to show you now. Come on."  
  
The onsen was another miracle of Washu's. The huge hot tub had been added extradimensionally, like Washu's lab, in place of the old downstairs bathroom. The old toiletries could be recalled by a simple act of will on the part of the person entering the room, but Ryoko wanted to unwind right now, and the onsen was the perfect place. As she entered, Sakuya in tow, Ryoko pulled a towel down from the nearby rack, and tossed it to the other girl. "You'll need that," Ryoko admonished, "especially since you're the bashfull type." She then proceeded to undress, smirking as Sakyua's eyes widened. "This," she explained, "is where me and the other girls come to relax, blow off steam, you know. Come on, step in," she invited, sliding into the hot water.  
  
Sakuya's face turned slightly pink as she undressed, wrapping the towel about her, and slipped into the tub, across from Ryoko.  
  
"Now," Ryoko began, holding up a finger, "rule number one: there are no secrets in here. You want to tell us something, anything, that you couldn't get away with out there, this is the place. And anything we say stays in here."  
  
She then picked up a bottle and a small glass that sat on the linoleum behind her. "Number two: all newcomers must pass initiation." She filled the little shot glass halfway, and held it out to Sakuya, who looked at it in shock.   
  
"Yeah, I know," Ryoko sighed, "you're a good girl and all that. But it's not much, not even enough to mess you up. Come on," she offered again, "in the interest of tradition?"  
  
"Well, okay," Sakuya agreed, taking the glass of liquor.  
  
"Excellent," Ryoko said, and clinked the bottle against Sakuya's glass. She then turned the bottle up and drank straight from it.  
  
Sakuya took a dainty sip from the glass, and promptly spat it into the air. "Uhhhgh," she moaned, "how can you drink that stuff? It's terrible!"  
  
Ryoko laughed, despite her minor irritation; that sake was expensive. "It's an acquired taste," she explained, watching as her protege forced down the bitter liquid. "A few more rounds, and you'll get used to it. That little bit shouldn't hurt you, though you might fall face down in the pool and drown." Sakuya gasped. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Ryoko laughed heartily, enjoying her practical joke, "it'll just make you more relaxed."  
  
At that moment, Kiyone and Princess Ayeka entered, already towel clad.  
  
"Shit!" Ryoko muttered to herself, as Ayeka stepped into the water, "Here comes trouble. Why didn't I think of that?" She sidled over to Sakuya and whispered, "rule number three: don't bug the princess. That's my job."  
  
"How's it going, Ryoko?" Kiyone asked, sitting on the edge, dangling her feet in the water.  
  
"Peachy," Ryoko replied nonchalantly, leaning back against the edge of the tub. "Just showing the ropes to our newbie here. Oh yeah, introductions. Sakuya, this is Kiyone Makibi. Kiyone, you know Sakuya, right?"  
  
"I heard about you," Kiyone said with a smile as they shook hands, "but we missed each other by a few light-years last time. I was out on patrol."  
  
"She's a cop," Ryoko explained.  
  
"Galaxy Police," Kiyone affirmed. "So, this is what you look like. You like it here so far?"  
  
"It's incredible," Sakuya praised. "You guys have everything here!"  
  
"Well, not everything," Kiyone corrected, "but you see, Katsuhito, the old man who owns this house, he's Tenchi's grandfather. He's a priest, and he's got buku money, so we can afford to splurge now and then. But stuff like this," she gestured around her at the onsen, "not to mention your bedroom, Washu builds. It only takes her a few minutes, and it's free."  
  
As Kiyone and Sakuya continued talking, Ryoko glanced over at Ayeka, who was now up to her shoulders in the water, on the other side of the tub. Her hair was pinned up in a neat bun, so that long tendrils framed her face. She had an emery board in one hand, and was examining her nails through a pair of tiny magnifying lenses perched on the end of her nose.  
  
Ryoko couldn't resist a jab at the ever prim-and-proper princess. "Hey," she called, "nice specs, grandma. Why don't you come over here with us white folks? We don't bite."  
  
"No thank you," Ayeka said politely.  
  
"Suit yourself," Ryoko said with a shrug. "Hey, Kiyone, where's Mihoshi?"  
  
"She wanted to come along," Kiyone replied with a chuckle, "but I got rid of her easily enough. Gave her a piece of paper with the word 'Over' on both sides."  
  
Ryoko gave a gasp of mock horror. "That's awfull!"  
  
"I'm just kidding," Kiyone laughed, "She's watching TV with Sasami."  
  
"Mihoshi," Sakuya muttered thoughtfully, "is she that blond girl you hang around with?"  
  
"God, don't remind me," Kiyone groaned. "Yeah, that's her, and she hangs around with me. The girl is a walking bomb, a disaster waiting to happen. You give her a pair of scissors, and she'll manage to blow them up."  
  
"Or de-sex someone with them," Ryoko added.  
  
"Yeah," Kiyone laughed, "poor Noboyuki. He'd better get himself a cup."  
  
"Bad idea," Ryoko warned. "Those are metal."  
  
"Damn, you're right," Kiyone said, snapping her fingers. She winced. "That would give new meaning to the words 'blow job'."  
  
"You know, I can actually picture that," Ryoko said thoughtfully, hand on her chin. "Poor guy is over here, his nuts are clear across the room, one here, one there..."  
  
Kiyone was laughing hysterically, the tears rolling down her face. "That's...mean, Ryoko," she wheezed. "You've got me...picturing...old man Katsuhito just calmly...putting the guy's balls back on, like it happens everyday!"  
  
"Okay," Ryoko continued. Now she was cracking up, too. "Now imagine this: Tenchi walks in on them, and thinks..."  
  
Sakuya's eyes were getting bigger and bigger as she listened to the conversation. She wondered if Ryoko was drunk.  
  
"You two are disgusting," Ayeka commented derisively from her spot on the other side of the tub.  
  
When dinner time came, Sakuya was starving. Tenchi hadn't been around very many pregnant women, and he was shocked to see what a ferocious eater she was. She had been through two platefulls already, and was working on a third. "What is this?" she asked around a mouthful of food, gesturing to her plate with the chopsticks. "It's delicious!"  
  
  
  
"Chicken katsu," Sasami replied proudly with a bright-eyed smile. "It's one of my specialties."  
  
  
  
"You made this?" Sakuya asked Sasami, more clearly this time, since her mouth wasn't full.  
  
  
  
"She certainly did," Katsuhito replied. "You should try her mu-gu-gai-pan! She's quite a little cook!"  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Ryoko agreed, "she can really--hey!" she objected when Sakuya reached for yet another helping. "Save some for the rest of us!"  
  
"Nonsense," Washu interjected, as Sakuya's hand paused over the serving bowl. Washu pulled the bowl of hibachi rice over to her side of the table. "Remember, she's eating for two now." The scientist beamed at her. "You take as much as you want, honey."  
  
"Ohhh," Sakuya groaned in response, hands on her stomach, "thanks, Miss Washu, but I just changed my mind. I think I'll pop if I eat another bite."  
  
"Well, in that case," Washu recanted, looking at her with concern, "you might very well want to lay off for now. You don't want to give yourself a cramp."  
  
Good grief, Tenchi suddenly realized. He hadn't thought of it that way. If Sakuya ever showed the symptoms of a mild stomach cramp, grunting and holding her belly, it would look just like she was losing...no, he didn't even want to finish *that* thought.  
  
"Well," Tenchi said, standing, "I think we've all had enough to eat. Great meal, Sasami," he beamed at her. "Alright, everyone. I'll be upstairs."  
  
He was at his desk, finishing up the last of his homework, when he heard the door creak. He looked up to see Princess Ayeka's head sticking through the doorway. "Lord Tenchi?" she asked. "May I come in?"  
  
  
  
"Hi, Ayeka," Tenchi said warmly. "Sure, come on in. What's up?"  
  
"Well..." she began awkwardly, "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment. It's about the living arrangements, and our new guest..."  
  
"You mean Sakuya?" he asked, a little defensively.  
  
"Yes," she admitted. She paused for a moment, then finally blurted: "I don't understand it, Lord Tenchi! You are the king of Jurai, you could have anything you wanted, including me. You could rule the universe, but instead you choose to hide on this backwater planet with some ordinary human girl..."  
  
"This backwater planet," Tenchi began angrily, "is my home, and that ordinary human is my girlfriend, and..." he paused for a moment. No, he couldn't pull any punches with her, he had to give it to her straight. "And I love her, Ayeka."  
  
He felt a pang of sadness when he saw the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, but I've chosen now. And it isn't you or Ryoko. I love Sakuya very much, and I want to marry her someday, when we're both ready." He put a hand under her chin. "But who knows?" he said, "Cheer up, Ayeka. I still care about you, and Ryoko, and everyone else, too. Who knows what the future holds?"  
  
"But what about us?" she asked plaintively. "What about you and me, Lord Tenchi?"  
  
"There is no 'us', Ayeka!" Tenchi said wearily. "That's what you don't understand. I don't want to rule the universe, or live in a palace. I just want stay here and farm carrots, and eat Sasami's food, and..."  
  
"But it's not that simple!" Ayeka interrupted. "Politically, you have no choice, Lord Tenchi. If you marry Sakuya, do you know what will happen?"  
  
Tenchi made no reply. He wan't certain what she was getting at.  
  
Ayeka suddenly laughed. "She would become the Third Princess of Jurai!"  
  
Tenchi realized Ayeka was right. Good god.  
  
"Can you see her?" Ayeka went on, "a princess? Your mother was one thing, at least she was old enough and wise enough to rule, but Sakuya? Lord Tenchi, she has no idea how to behave like royalty, our people would laugh her to scorn! She she doesn't know the first thing about being a princess."  
  
"She doesn't have to!" Tenchi shot back. "Because she's not going to Jurai, and neither am I."  
  
"Very well, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka conceded, bowing her head. "But I want you to remember that you are a king, and you have a responsibility to your people. I ask only that you think carefully before you make any choice that might affect their future." With that, she left, quietly closing the door behind her.  
  
That night, Tenchi lay in his bed, the lamp on his nightstand still on, reading a novel. But he couldn't concentrate, and found himself reading the same sentences over and over. Ayeka's words kept on haunting him.  
  
So, he thought, Princess Sakuya. Certainly, Ayeka was correct in saying that Sakuya was hardly up to the task of ruling a planet, even with his guidance. But would that even be an issue? He had no intention of ever returning to Jurai; that he had known long before he had even gone to Tokyo.  
  
He decided that it really was a moot point. She would be a princess in name only, never having to even see Jurai, let alone make decisions regarding its welfare. 'Princess' would be little more than an affectionate nickname for her, used by him and the family.  
  
"Tenchi?"  
  
He started a little; he hadn't even heard the door open.  
  
"Sakuya?" he asked, "What are you doing up here? Aren't you going to bed? It's late."  
  
"Well," she explained, looking a little embarrased, "I wanted to take a shower first, but the one in my room doesn't have any hot water yet. Miss Washu said she would have it working by tomorrow morning. May I borrow yours?"  
  
"Uhhh, sure, I guess," Tenchi replied quizically. "Just don't take long."  
  
"I won't," she promised, disappearing into his bathroom. "Thank you, Tenchi."  
  
As he heard the spray start, Tenchi decided he wasn't going to get anymore reading in tonight. He turned off the lamp, and snuggled under his comforter, closing his eyes.  
  
After a few minutes, the sound of the water stopped, and she emerged, her dark green silk kimono wrapped about her slender figure. "Thanks, Tenchi," she said.  
  
"Sure," Tenchi replied, lifting his head up off the pillow. "See you in the morning."  
  
But when she reached the door, her hand on the knob, she had a sudden impulse, manifested as an odd, warm feeling in the pit of her stomach.  
  
Tenchi watched, mystified, as she turned around and walked over to his bed, standing over him.  
  
"Tenchi," she whispered, her voice a little deeper.  
  
"What is it, Sakuya?" he asked, his own voice barely above a whisper, as he looked up at her.  
  
Silently, she reached down and tugged at the sash of her kimono, sliding it back off her shoulders. The garment whispered down over her hips to pool on the floor about her feet.  
  
Tenchi had once stumbled upon Princess Ayeka in the nude, bathing in Lake Funaho, while on his nightly stroll, and been roundly chastised for it. Sakuya's body was roughly similar in shape to Ayeka's, but the few inches of height she lacked on the princess made her breasts appear slightly larger, and unlike Ayeka, she had a small amount of downy hair at her groin. Her breasts, hips and thighs made perfect curves that his eyes followed all the way down to her feet. Good god, but she was beautiful.  
  
Tenchi knew he couldn't possibly turn her away, didn't want to, even though he knew that he should. After the courage it must have taken for her to show herself naked to him, he would be an utter bastard to tell her no.  
  
He held out his arms, and she crawled into his bed, pressing her body gently against his.  
  
He wound one arm about her waist, and with the other reached for his nightstand drawer, about to search for the small box. But Sakuya grabbed his hand in midair, brought it to her lips and kissed it, twining her fingers through his.  
  
"There's no need for that, Tenchi," she said, smiling. "I'm pregnant already. You can't give me another baby."  
  
She was right, of course. Silly of him. He put his hands on her hips, and drew her over to lie on top of him.  
  
She was shy at first, making only the most conservative of moves. She dropped light kisses on his mouth, along his neck and shoulder, her fingers lightly grazing his chest. He gave a small mumble of pleasure and, emboldened, she took his mouth in a long, deep kiss, using her tongue to wonderful effect, and ran her open palms over his chest and stomach.  
  
Their lovemaking was slow and lazy, and absolutely incredible.   
  
Tenchi's first, and only time, had been with Mihoshi, in a moment of mutual depression, both of them seeking solace in the wrong place. That had been frantic, the two groping for one another wildly, and it was over in a few minutes. The next few days after the incident had been terribly awkward for both of them, though they had promised one another it would never happen again, and none of the others had ever found out.  
  
But this time, there was no cause for worry. Sakuya was quiet in her pleasure, but showing it nonetheless, and when it was over, Tenchi was thoroughly satisfied. The only drawback, he thought, was that she could not stay till the morning, allowing him to awaken to see her dark hair draped over his chest, one delicate arm thrown about him.  
  
Instead, she rose from the bed, treating him to a lovely view of her bottom as she slipped her kimono back on, and tightened the sash.  
  
"Good night, Tenchi," she whispered. She dropped a quick kiss on his mouth, and then left for her own room.  
  
That night, he slept like a dead man. 


	3. Second Day

***  
  
Okay, so this one might be a little boring. It's mostly a lot of talking heads, i.e. Tenchi and Sakuya getting some things straightened out, Sakuya and Ayeka defining their relationship, etc.  
  
I was really hard on Ayeka's character in this chapter. This is just to warn all you Ayeka fans out there. Although I don't really like Ayeka very much, it's nothing personal against her or any of you. Think of it this way: Ayeka is not only jealous and resentful of Sakuya, but is also looking at things from a political point of view that Sakuya is not aware of.  
  
So without further ado, here it is. Enjoy! -- Poncho D  
  
Chapter Three  
  
It was nearly six a.m. Washu knocked on the bedroom door one more time and, getting no response, pushed open the door and looked in on Sakuya.  
  
She was sound asleep, snoring softly. In the dim light from the lab, only the crown of her hair was visible, peeking out from under the dark-blue conforter.  
  
Wasuh sighed. Okay, this was going to be difficult. She rapped loudly on the side of the doorway. "Sakuya?"  
  
With a soft groan, the groggy girl forced her head off the pillow, and squinted at the little wind-up clock on the nightstand. "It's so early," she moaned irritably. Her head plopped uncerimoniously back on to the pillow.  
  
"Yeah, no kidding," Washu agreed. "I figured you would want to sleep until noon."  
  
Now what, Sakuya's sleep-fogged mind wondered, was *that* supposed to mean?  
  
"Come on, you heard me," Washu said sternly. "Rise and shine. Or at least rise."  
  
Slowly, she obeyed, sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing her weary eyes.  
  
"Sasami's already up," Washu informed her. "In fact," she glanced at her watch, "she should be just about finshed making breakfast. You'd better hurry before Mihoshi gets to the bacon first."  
  
Mihoshi had indeed gotten to the bacon first, but there was still enough to go around. Sasami bustled gamely about, placing fried rice and okonomiyaki on everyone's plate, and filling glasses with fresh milk. "Good morning, Sakuya," she said, beaming cheerfully. "Wow, you look like you could use some coffee." She removed the glass of milk in front of one plate, and replaced it with a steaming mug.  
  
"Where is Ryoko?" Ayeka grumbled from her seat. "She never gets up with the rest of us. That demon sleeps until noon almost everyday. It really is unfair."  
  
"Yep, it sure is," Washu agreed. "You want to go wake her up?"  
  
Ayeka made no reply.  
  
"I didn't think so," Washu said sardonically. "She's the exception to the rule, and we all know why. Alright, everyone," she said to the assembled family. "Here's the chore list for today. Mihoshi, Kiyone and I need to go grocery shopping in Kurashiki. Noboyuki, would you mind driving us?" Noboyuki nodded absently, poking with his chopsticks at the rice on his plate. "Good. Ryoko doesn't know it yet, but she'll be helping you make lunch, Sasami. Sakuya and Ayeka, you two have laundry duty."  
  
Ayeka was a little nonplussed. "But...I usually do laundry with Mihoshi. What about--"  
  
"I repeat," Washu interrupted, "Mihoshi will be with me and Kiyone in town, and Ryoko just plain doesn't work. You and Sakuya will be doing laundry. No buts about it. We start as soon as breakfast is finished."  
  
Ayeka began later that morning by showing her new protege how to wash clothes by hand. When Sakuya lived in Tokyo, she had always taken her clothing to the laundromat (or borrowed Tenchi's washing machine). Using a bucket and washboard was quite a new experience for her, but she learned the skill soon enough, though it was aggravating.  
  
The two worked in tense silence. "Sakuya," Ayeka said, glancing down at the other bucket, "you're using entirely too much soap. I hope you realize how difficult it will be to rinse that."  
  
"Oh," Sakuya said, looking down at the offending article of clothing. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't paying attention, Miss...uhh, Ayeka, right?"  
  
"Correct," Ayeka nodded. "But you are to address me as 'Princess Ayeka' or 'Your Highness'."  
  
"But Ryoko doesn't call you that," Sakuya pointed out.  
  
"Ryoko," Ayeka sniffed, "has no respect for anyone, and I have long since given up on seeing any sort of formality come from her. However, I must point out that the others usually mind their manners around royalty, and I expect the same from you." Shaking her head, she gestured to the washbucket. "That water is useless now. I'm afraid you will have to pour it out and start over."  
  
"Well, excuse me," Sakuya muttered under her breath.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
Ayeka glared at her angrily. "I will not tolerate insolence," she berated the other girl. "If you have something to say, I suggest you--"  
  
"Lay off her, Princess, will you?" Ryoko's voice called from the porch. "Hey, don't worry about her, Sakuya. She's always like that. Join the rest of us in the onsen when you get done?"  
  
"Sure," Sakuya said, beaming at her. "See you this evening."  
  
When Tenchi got home from school, he proceeded to the carrot fields to start his real work, as he often called it. Sakuya sought him out there, standing off at a distance, watching him work. Tenchi allowed himself an ironic grin as he caught sight of her, standing at the edge of the field. That used to be Ryoko's thing, he thought, only she wasn't content just to watch.  
  
He dropped the plow, and sat down, leaning his back against a tree. He waved to Sakuya. "Hey," he called, "you're right on time. I was just finishing up."  
  
She walked over and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "So how was your day?" he asked, looping an arm about her waist. "Are you getting along okay with everyone?"  
  
"Yeah, mostly. Except for that princess. How come she doesn't like me, Tenchi?"  
  
"Ayeka?" Tenchi asked. She nodded.  
  
Yikes, Tenchi thought. How to answer that one? Well Sakuya, you see, Ayeka is in love with me, along with Ryoko and four other women. But when you came along, and we got together, they were really jealous and...sheesh, any way he cut it, this would sound egotistical as hell. So he decided not to cut it at all.  
  
"Uhh," he paused, "well, don't worry, it's not your fault. But it's sort of hard to explain. Ask Ryoko this evening, she could tell you better than I could."  
  
"Okay," she agreed. "Tenchi?" she asked, giving him a look of concern. "What's on your mind?"  
  
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.  
  
"Liar," she giggled, "your nose is twitching."  
  
Damn, he thought, I forgot about that. "Well," he began, "it's about last night." He turned to her, blushing fiercely. "Sakuya, we really shouldn't have done that."  
  
"Why not?" she asked with a coquettish chuckle. "It was great!"  
  
"I know," he said sheepishly. "I enjoyed it too, but if we do it again, it could cause problems."  
  
"Like what?" she asked. "I'm already pregnant, and I don't have any diseases or anything."  
  
"But that's not the point!" Tenchi objected. "If the others find out...and besides, it's already starting to make things awkward between us."  
  
"But why?" she asked plaintively. She reached up a hand to touch his face. "I'm not a whore, Tenchi. I love you, and we both enjoy being close to one another, and--"  
  
"Please, Sakuya," he interrupted. "Just please, make this promise with me. No more sex, not until we're both ready." Preferably if and when we walk the aisle, he added silently.  
  
"I promise, Tenchi," she said meekly, looking at the ground.  
  
When she looked up at him again, his eyebrows went up as he noticed her expression. "What's the matter?" he asked, then gave a gasp of shock. "Sakuya! You didn't tell anyone...?!"  
  
"No!" she denied immediately. "But I...I think Miss Washu knows."  
  
Damn it all, Tenchi cursed mentally. Washu was no fool; of course she would have figured it out when Sakuya left for a five-minute shower and returned fifteen minutes later.  
  
"But I don't think she'll tell anyone," she temporized, giving him an amused smile. "Miss Washu is weird, but she's sweet."  
  
Tenchi laughed softly. "Yeah, I'd say that about sums up Washu alright." He stood, and held out a hand to her. "Come on, let's go home."  
  
"So what exactly is her problem?" Sakuya asked Ryoko in the onsen that evening. Ayeka, the subject of her queston, had just left in a tizzy, after yet another argument with Ryoko.  
  
"Tenchi didn't tell you?" Ryoko replied sardonicly. "Heh heh. No wonder, I wouldn't have said anything either, in his shoes." She leaned forward. "First off, let me tell you something about Tenchi you probably already know: he's sweet as a kitten. The guy doesn't have a single arrogant bone in his body. That's why he didn't want to talk about me and Ayeka having such a problem with you at first."  
  
"But what does that have to do with anything?" Sakuya asked.  
  
"I'm getting to that. Second, do you know how lucky you are to have landed a guy like Tenchi? He's had girls crawling all over him ever since Ayeka and I first came here. Even Sasami has a little bit of a crush on him.  
  
"Me and Ayeka had it for him the worst. We fought over him day and night, trying to make him choose one or the other of us."  
  
"You fought over him?" Sakuya said in a shocked voice.  
  
"Yeah," Ryoko admitted. "Pretty stupid, huh? Fighting over a man, like he was some kind of prize or something. He thought the same thing you're thinking right now. Pretty soon, he got sick of it, and packed his bags for Tokyo."  
  
"Where we met, at school," Sakuya muttered to herself.  
  
"Yep. Now he told us he was going off to college, and he was. But I think he was glad to get away from us for a while. So you see, you succeded where we failed, because *you* did it right! And the amazing thing is, you didn't even know you were doing it right.  
  
"I've got to be honest with you, Sakuya, I hated your guts the first time I met you. But you know, I was such a different person back then, I'm pretty ashamed of myself when I look back now. Anyway, after all that rucous with Yugi finally settled down, Tenchi missed you something awfull. He tried to hide it, smiling all the time, burying himself in his work. But Ayeka and I both knew he had finally chosen, and it wasn't either of us. It was someone who, as far as he knew, he would never see again."  
  
"So what about..."  
  
"Yeah, don't worry, I'm finally there," Ryoko laughed. "About time, huh? Well, when I saw how much Tenchi really loved you, I learned to let go of all that jealousy crap. As for Ayeka, well, she's still working on it."  
  
"Uuuunnhhh," a moan came from the other end of the onsen, where Mihoshi, who had been in the scalding water for hours, was finally awakening. Suddenly, she screamed. "Oh my gosh!!" she wailed, "I've been in here forever, I'm red as a lobster! And I'm all shrivelled up, Ryoko, why didn't you wake me up?!!"  
  
"Wake you up?" Ryoko argued. "Mihoshi, ten squadrons of jets flying through here couldn't wake you up. You're even lazier than I am. Take a cold shower, you'll be alright."  
  
But Mihoshi would have none of it. "Oh no, I can't believe I did that. Kiyoneeeee...!!!" She ran from the room, screaming for her partner and erstwhile friend.  
  
Meanewhile, Tenchi was in Washu's lab, having been summoned there not long after he got back from the field. He was looking over her shoulder at a computer screen. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
"It's a sonogram of Sakuya's vagina." Washu answered curtly, distracted. For a few more moments, she continued muttering to herself, tracing her finger over the screen. "Aha," she said triumphantly. "There." She moved her finger to reveal an area on the right side of the birth canal. The area she indicated was a slightly lighter shade of purple than the rest of the picture.  
  
"What?" Tenchi asked. "What does it mean?"  
  
"It means," Washu said in a professorial tone, "that the tissue in that area is a little weaker than normal." She gave him an almost motherly look of concern. "Tenchi, if it tears during birth..."  
  
"Oh no," Tenchi whispered. "Can she still...still have the baby? Washu, I have to know," he insisted before she even had a chance to reply.  
  
"Of course she can still have the baby," Washu snapped. "She has no choice; I'm not performing an abortion."  
  
Thank god, Tenchi thought. "So, if she does get hurt having the baby, what happens?" he asked.  
  
"Well, *if* this little nightmare scenario occurrs," she replied, going back to her professor-like tone, "then we have two choices. One is a Cesaerian section; go ahead and yank the baby out before it can do any damage. Two is even riskier, but it's quicker, and could save a lot of recovery time. Let her have the baby vaginally, and then immediately go in and repair the rupture. The problem is, either choice involves surgery, and she's not very strong, Tenchi."  
  
"Could she die?" Tenchi asked quickly, getting the question out while he was brave enough.  
  
"No," Washu said, pleased with herself when she heard Tenchi's breath of relief. "I've got surgical equipment in here that's centuries beyond anything Earth doctors have. Laser scalpels, tenth-of-a-second cautery, and the safest drugs known to Jurian science. She'll be okay, Tenchi. But some of this stuff is untested, and..."  
  
"What is it, Washu?" he pressed.  
  
"She might not be able to have anymore children."  
  
Tenchi gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tenchi. I just wanted to warn you ahead of time, so there wouldn't be any surprises. But keep in mind, we might not have this problem in the first place. She could have that baby without a problem. All I'm asking of you is to be carefull."  
  
"I will," Tenchi said, examining his shoes. "Thanks, Washu. See you at dinner." He turned to go.  
  
"And Tenchi?" she called after him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Come here for a minute. We're not done yet."  
  
Tenchi returned to his spot in front of her computer chair.  
  
Washu folded her arms neatly across her chest. "I found some very slight external bruising around eleven, twelve and one o'clock. The consentual area." She raised an eyebrow. "Did you boff her, Tenchi?"  
  
"Washu!!" Tenchi objected angrily.  
  
"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry for my foul language. But you did have sex with her, didn't you?"  
  
Tenchi turned away from her. "It's none of your business," he muttered sullenly.  
  
"Bullshit!" she snapped. "It is too my business. Oh, good grief, Tenchi, did you think just because she's already pregnant, you could bed her risk-free?"  
  
"For your information," Tenchi shot back, "she came to me. And we already talked about this; it won't happen again."  
  
"Good," Washu said cheerfully. "I'll make sure it stays between me, you and Sakuya, as long you keep that promise. Go get yourself some dinner, Tenchi."  
  
Long after dinner, they sat on the couch watching a movie. It was an old romantic film, one of Tenchi's favorites. Sakuya seemed to be enjoying it; her head was on his shoulder, his arm around her.  
  
He had not forgotten Washu's warning, but was determined not to let her anger bother him. After all, he agreed with her that getting too intimate with Sakuya could be a bad idea.  
  
The movie had progressed to the point where the young couple were finally about to profess their love for one another. Tenchi caught something out of the corner of his eye, and looked over at Sakuya. His stomach sank when noticed a tear running down her cheek.  
  
"Sakuya?" he asked. "What's wrong? Oh no, Sakuya, don't cry." He reached out a hand and gently turned her face toward him. "Come on, tell me about it."  
  
"I'm scared, Tenchi," she sniffed, burying her face in his shirt. Tenchi stroked her hair.   
  
"What are you scared of? What's the matter?"  
  
"Everything," she said, her voice muffled by his clothing. "I'm scared of losing you, I'm afraid of having a baby, and all these people not liking me, and--"  
  
"Whoa, hold on," he interrupted, taking her by the shoulders so that she looked up at him, "you can't possibly be afraid of everything. One thing at a time, starting with me." He stroked a lock of hair back behind her ear. "Why are you afraid of losing me? Sakuya, I'm right here, I'll always be here. I'm not going to leave you." Obviously a moot issue. It was his house; he could hardly leave *her* even if he had any desire to. The most he could do in that regard was to send her away. He would sooner drive a knife into his own heart.  
  
"What about the baby?" she asked. Tenchi flinched ever so slightly. *She's got you there.* He thought of Washu's predictions, the so-called nightmare scenario they discussed.  
  
He didn't want to scare her even more, but he couldn't lie to her, either. He decided on a compromise.  
  
"Pregnancy can be tough," he said, feeling like a complete idiot, "but so can you. You're female, your body is designed for this. Whatever happens, Sakuya, you and the baby will be okay." At least that was true according to Washu's instruments, which were sensitive enough to reveal his personal life to her.  
  
"As for the others," he went on, "they all like you alot, especially Ryoko and Washu. And Sasami is everybody's friend. Ayeka is used to getting more attention, she's just jealous. It not your fault, she'll get over it.  
  
Sakuya leaned against him again, sniffling as her tears dried. "I love you, Tenchi," she said softly. "I'm sorry for dumping all that on you. I guess I'm just tired."  
  
"I love you, too," he said. "And to be honest, I'm pretty worn out myself. Why don't we finish this movie tomorrow, okay? Go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."  
  
As she was leaving, she gave him a rare, mischiefous grin, reminding him of what happened the last time he said *that*.  
  
"I really mean it this time," he laughed. 


	4. Third Day

Chapter Four  
  
The next morning, Sakuya stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bathroom, fresh from the shower, and looked at her body.  
  
She was maybe an inch or two taller than she had been in Tokyo. She noticed that she was getting a little pudgy around the waist. Starting to show a little? she wondered. Probably not; it was too early yet.  
  
She picked up a big brush and began, with a wince here and there, to dig the tangles out of her copious locks. Boy, long hair was a pain. She had considered getting it cut again, but the novelty had not yet worn off for her, and Tenchi seemed to like her new look.  
  
She heard voices outside, beyond her bedroom door. Miss Washu was talking to someone.  
  
"Yeah, she's there, go on back," Sakuya heard. She quickly donned her robe, in case her visitor was male, and entered her room.  
  
When she heard the knock, she opened the door to see Miss Mihoshi's cheerfull face and frizzy blond hair. "Hi!" Mihoshi greeted. "Ayeka is taking me and Kiyone into town for some shopping, after breakfast. Would you like to come with us?"  
  
"I'd love to," Sakuya replied with a grin. "Just let me get dressed."  
  
"Great! See you in a few minutes."  
  
For an outfit, she chose her t-shirt and bluejeans, along with the little yellow windbreaker she wore during chilly weather.  
  
Outside, Sakuya and Tenchi said their goodbyes, and the four giggling females piled into Ayeka's car. The big beige luxury vehicle was gorgeous, both inside and out, and very expensive. No one was certain exactly why the princess had purchased it, when she already possessed an orbiting spacecraft that could take her anywhere on the planet at a moment's notice, but the most popular theory was that it was simply for prestige.  
  
Sakuya sat in the back, next to Mihoshi, and leaned back in the leather- trimmed seat; it was very comfortable. As they backed out of the driveway, the air conditioner whirred to life, sucking away the heat of the morning, and replacing it with a cool artificial breeze.  
  
"This is really nice," she commented, running a hand over the supple leather of the seat.  
  
"You bet," Kiyone said, looking back over her shoulder with a grin. "What did I tell you? This bunch knows how to get around in style!"  
  
-  
  
"So, what do you think?" Kiyone asked in front of the dressing rooms, holding up a skimpy two-piece bathing suit in either hand. "The red, or the white?"  
  
"Hmm," Sakuya stroked her chin thoughtfully, "The red one brings out your skin tone better, but the white is a bit flashier. I guess the question is, which is more important?"  
  
Kiyone frowned, disappointed at having to choose. "I want to go with the red," she sighed, "but it's too blasted expensive! Alright, red it is, but I'll buy it next time. Sakuya? Hey, pay attention, I need your help here! What are you looking at, anyway?"  
  
Sakuya turned back to her, popping her eyebrows up and down, a mischiefous grin on her face.  
  
"Don't you dare!" Kiyone laughed when she saw where Sakuya had been looking. Her laughter died when she realized her friend was not joking.  
  
"Sakuya, you can't be serious," she whispered harshly. "Washu will kick your ass if she finds out!"  
  
"Miss Washu won't find out," Sakuya assured nonchalantly, setting off for the section of the store in question, with Kiyone, trying not to look suspicious, trailing her. "Besides," she said quietly, "I just want to show it to him, that's all."  
  
Meanwhile, Mihoshi and Ayeka were checking out the perfume counter. "Oh my, Mihoshi, this is lovely, don't you think?" She held out her wrist. Mihoshi was bored to tears; Ayeka had spent the last ten minutes trying to match wits with the sophisticated nineteen-year-old girl behind the counter, and had met with little success.  
  
Mihoshi reluctantly leaned down and took a sniff, and promptly sneezed, covering Ayeka's arm in tiny dots of saliva.  
  
The princess was utterly humiliated. Seeing the smug look on the salesperson's face, she tossed her head back and stomped away, Mihoshi following along and apologizing profusely.  
  
"Say," Mihoshi mentioned, when Ayeka seemed satisfied with her apologies, "Where do you think Kiyone and Sakuya went?"  
  
"Yeeee," Kiyone grimaced, looking at the filmy little nightgown/slip Sakuya had donned in the dressing room. "No, I think black is a little too racy for you, and green has already been done. Let's try matching your skin tone. Hmmm, you're really fair-skinned, so let's see...how about this?" The garment she held up was shorter, and light blue, almost bluish-white.  
  
"Oooh, I like it," she approved, "but maybe--" she stopped when they heard Princess Ayeka's distinctive English accent nearby. "No time to decide now," Kiyone said quickly, shoving the slip into its box, and dropping it in a plastic bag. She tossed Sakuya her street clothes. "Let's go."  
  
-  
  
Tenchi barged through the door of his house, thoroughly disgruntled. He had two ten-page essays to hand in by the end of the week, and was in no mood to even pick up a pencil.  
  
His teacher, Mister Nagumo, was nicknamed "the Shogun" by his students, and lived up to it. He was the most cruel, heartless history instructor Tenchi had ever encountered. Nagumo had once given Tenchi a grade half a point short of passing on a term paper, because of three misspelled words, all of which were common enough mistakes. And one boy had been sent to the headmaster's office for being exactly twenty seconds late to class (when he returned with only a warning on the referral, Nagumo had glared at him periodically throughout class). Only an instructor with a heart of pure evil could do such things, and as far as Tenchi was concerned, Nagumo fit the bill perfectly.  
  
After his shower, Tenchi lay on his bed, wondering how in the world he was going to find time to finish two major papers, put in enough work in the field, and spend some time with Sakuya.  
  
He realized he hadn't thought of her all day. He wondered how she was doing with the other girls, and hoped Ayeka hadn't given her a hard time. He took some comfort in knowing that Kiyone was there, to help balance things out between those two. Kiyone was strong and sensible, and would make a good buddy for his fragile-hearted girlfriend. Between her and Ryoko, Sakuya was settling in quickly.  
  
He heard doors opening, and chattering female voices downstairs. That would be them now. He went downstairs and greeted the girls, sharing a quick kiss with Sakuya as the others unpacked. He took a few moments to think about what he was about to do. What the hell, he decided. Never mind the homework for now. Shogun Nagumo could wait another twelve hours.  
  
He snuck Sakuya, package and all, off to the side as Ayeka and the others unwrapped their newly acquired packages. The two sat on the couch in the living room. "Hey," Tenchi said, giving her a good-natured poke in the stomach, "why don't we get out of here tonight? Just you and me. I'll take you out to dinner. What do you say?"  
  
"That sounds like fun," Sakuya said, "but you don't drive. Who's going to take us? Miss Ayeka?" She chuckled to show that she was joking.  
  
"God, no!" Tenchi laughed, but his laughter turned to a groan when he realized the solution. "It'll have to be my dad. Don't worry, I'll pay for him, and make sure he sits at least two tables away."  
  
"What's wrong with your father?" Sakuya asked curiously.  
  
"You don't want to know, trust me." Tenchi muttered.  
  
Noboyuki Masaki, for some reason, deemed it absolutely imperative that his son get married soon, or at least sleep with something vaguely female. He was always trying to fix Tenchi up with with one girl or another. If he had known about the incident the night before last, he would have shouted it from the summit of Mount Fuji. On the other hand, if he ever found out about Mihoshi...  
  
-  
  
Sasami was not at all upset about Tenchi going out for dinner. After all, the food she had worked so hard to make would still be eaten, if it took a little longer. She was glad he was finally going to get some time alone with Sakuya. Now she wouldn't have to scold the others about leaving the couple alone. At least for now.  
  
Tenchi smoothed out the fabric of his slacks as he waited by the door. After a few minutes, she appeared, wearing her best clothes. "You look stunning!" he complemented.  
  
She was wearing the outfit she saved for occasions such as this one. She looked very sophisticated, in her black sweater and pantyhose, and the little red skirt. A pair of sunglasses was perched at her hairline, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.  
  
"You ready, son?" Noboyuki asked excitedly as he entered the kitchen, tossing his car keys up and catching them smoothly.  
  
"Ready as I'll ever be," Tenchi said with a bright-eyed smile, placing his arm about Sakuya's waist. "You remember the rules, right?"  
  
"Of course," Noboyuki laughed. "Come on, I wouldn't want to bother my boy on a date!"  
  
Like hell you wouldn't, Tenchi thought, mentally increasing the distance between he and Sakuya's table and his father's. He willed himself to relax, and headed out the door, his father and his date in tow.  
  
-  
  
The Yoshikaru Restaraunt in Kurashiki was the most opulent in Okayama Prefecture. It also cost a sizeable portion of Tenchi's paycheck to get a meal there, and was well worth it.  
  
He watched her in the candle light, admiring her, as she nibbled on the little salad she had ordered as an appetizer. The light flickered, reflecting in her green eyes, and creating faint shadows that played across her face. She was gorgeous!  
  
"So, what do you think?" he asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"It's great!" She replied with a smile. "Gosh, first a fancy car, now this. I feel like a princess!"  
  
Tenchi laughed softly. "Well, I'm glad you're having a good time. Just don't overdo it on the wine," he gestured to the goblet near her plate, and the bottle in the middle of the table, "you've got someone else to think about." She nodded. "So," he went on, "did you like shopping with the girls today?"  
  
"I loved it! That blond girl--"  
  
"Mihoshi," he informed her.  
  
"Yeah, she's such a trip! I cracked up just watching her and Miss Ayeka. And I got to help Miss Kiyone pick out a bathing suit. Oh, that reminds me," she leaned across the table and whispered in his ear, a sensation he found surprisingly arousing, "I've got something for you when we get home."  
  
And just what, Tenchi wondered, had she gotten for him? He hoped it wasn't clothing of any kind. Tenchi hated getting clothing for a gift, and had no ability to hide his feelings about it. She would definitely be offended if she read it on his face. He decided to let her keep her little secret for now.  
  
They sat talking, and gazing at one another, until their orders arrived. The food was cooked in traditional hibachi style, the chef putting on an impressive show for the couple as he cracked, whipped, banged, and otherwise maneuvered the ingredients into place. He stacked up a series of onion rings, soaked them in vegetable oil, and struck a match. Sakuya squealed in fright, and Tenchi snorted loudly, trying not to laugh at the sight of her cringing as the gout of flame reached halfway to the ceiling.  
  
With a flourish and a low bow, the cook presented them with their meal. Tenchi applauded, and shook the man's hand.  
  
"That was not funny," Sakuya grumbled as they were left alone once more.  
  
"It was hilarious!" Tenchi laughed hysterically. "You should have seen the look on your face..." he trailed off when he realized she was genuinely upset. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he recanted gently. "I'll ask him not to do it next time."  
  
Sakuya's face lit up. "Next time?!" she said incredulously.  
  
"Sure," Tenchi promised, beaming at her. "It'll be a while before I can afford it again, but I'll definitely try to bring you back if you want."  
  
She certainly did, despite the terrifying onion volcano. She spent the rest of their date gazing lovingly at him, speaking only when spoken to; she was far too distracted by him to make any conversation of her own.  
  
-  
  
Ayeka, sitting on the couch in the living room, held up the small bottle of perfume she had battled so hard for, and sprayed a little on the nape of her neck.  
  
"That really smells nice, Ayeka," Kiyone complemented.  
  
"Yes, I think so too," Ayeka replied. "As long as you're not allergic to it." She glared at Mihoshi, who was sticking out her tongue as she concentrated on a Rubic's cube, oblivious to the conversation. "So, what did you get for yourself?" Ayeka asked, turning back to Kiyone.  
  
Kiyone opened her box and stood, holding the little bikini up in front of her.  
  
"Goodness," Ayeka giggled, "that's very interesting. Planning to turn a few heads at the beach, are we?"  
  
"You better belive it!" Kiyone said, returning to the couch. "I'm twenty- two and single. Do I look like Tenchi to you? Ooh, that wasn't very nice was it?"  
  
Especially, she thought, since Tenchi had someone now. He was a gentleman, not willing to bring home just any woman. There was nothing wrong with that. It just made a conveinient joke.  
  
"Well, I won't tell him if you won't," Ayeka replied with a chuckle. "Speaking of which, where do you suppose Lord Tenchi and his little courtesan have gotten off to?" She *refused* to refer to Sakuya as Tenchi's girlfriend.  
  
"As far as I know, they're on a date," Kiyone said. "I'm sure they'll be back soon." With that, she stood. "Come on, Mihoshi, put that thing down. I need your help cleaning up that pigsty you made out of our room.  
  
Mihoshi reluctantly rose and followed Kiyone up the stairs, leaving Ayeka alone.  
  
There was still one unopened package on the table. Oh, she noticed, it's partially open. That would be Sakuya's purchase.  
  
I really shouldn't, she hesitated. Lord Tenchi would be furious if he found out...  
  
But there's the rub, she told herself with a devious grin. She would only take a little peek, and then put it right back. Surely no one would be the wiser.  
  
A few minutes later, Noboyuki's car pulled into the driveway, with the owner of the package and her blissfully happy suitor in the back seat.  
  
Tenchi had controlled himself during the ride home; it would have been at best impolite to make out with Sakuya while his father was less than a meter away. But he fully intended to catch up on the lost quality time as soon as possible.  
  
When Noboyuki opened the door, he blanched at the sight that greeted the three.  
  
Standing in the doorway was a purple-faced Princess Ayeka, with what looked vaguely like a piece of fabric balled up in her fist. Her teeth were clenched with rage, and she advanced on Tenchi and Sakuya with murder in her eyes.  
  
"Ayeka?" Tenchi asked, completely nonplussed, and very worried. "Ayeka, what's the matter?" He turned to Sakuya, who's ashen face was aimed at Ayeka's hand. "Sakuya? Are...are you okay? Girls, what's going on here?"  
  
"You...you...little..." Ayeka sputtered, tears squirting down her face. She hurled the delicate object at Sakuya, who reached out and caught it. Sakuya's face turned beet-red when it unfolded for the world to see.  
  
"...SLUT!!" Ayeka finally finished. The word had the impact of a nuclear bomb.  
  
"Ayeka," Tenchi shouted, "that's enough! Now both of you, tell me what in God's name this is all about!"  
  
"You...," Ayeka stammered, pointing an accusing finger at the flimsy piece of lingerie in Sakuya's hand, "you think I don't what that is for?"  
  
"But, Miss Ayeka, I was..." Sakuya began, humiliation coloring her face.  
  
"SILENCE!! Ayeka screamed. "Do you expect me to believe you were planning to wear to this to bed, just for yourself?" Her voice took on a quiet, menacing tone, "Just what were you planning to get next?" she asked scornfully, "A bottle of wine? Some scented candles? Perhaps a little body oil--"  
  
She never finished the sentence. Throughout her tirade, Sakuya's guilt and embarassment had transformed into an emotion she had never experienced before. The feeling churned in her belly, and sparked red in her vision, and coated her mind with an awful haze.  
  
RAGE.  
  
She seemed to step out of her own body, watching as her small fist shot out and caught the princess square in the left eye, snapping her head around sideways.  
  
The tumult of anger left Ayeka in an instant, replaced by complete shock, as she looked back at the fuming girl. *No one*, no matter how furious, had ever struck her.  
  
"You," Sakuya began, in a furious speech of her own, "you went through my things, you humiliated me in front of Tenchi, and you...YOU BI--"  
  
"STOP IT!!" Tenchi screamed, stepping between them. "Both of you, stop this right now! You're acting like third-graders!! Sakuya," he said quietly, turning to her, "come with me. Ayeka, go up to your room and stay there. I'll send for you when I'm ready."  
  
-  
  
He led Sakuya to the shrine, and they stood on the shore of the lake. The sight of the silver moonlight relflecting on the water helped to calm him somewhat, if very little, and he was greatfull for it. He needed to be calm right now.  
  
"Tenchi?" Sakuya asked in a whisper, hoping he wasn't too furious to even talk to her.  
  
"Sakuya, why?" he said, turning to her. "What the hell got into you back there?" The anger, she saw, was gone, replaced by something far worse: his brown eyes were full of deep sadness. Knowing how she had made him feel was like having a knife driven into her stomach.  
  
She responded to his question by wrapping her arms around him. She buried his face in his sleeve, crying uncontrollably. "I'm sorry, Tenchi," she sobbed, "I am so sorry, for everything."  
  
He returned the hug reluctantly; it hardly seemed appropriate to hold or comfort her after what she had done. "I know you are," Tenchi said. "And I forgive you. And I want you to forgive Miss Ayeka, too." He gently pushed her away, holding her by the shoulders. "But I don't think you fully realize what you've done," he said, his voice suddenly stern. "Ayeka is *royalty*, Sakuya! You just decked the Princess of Jurai! She could have you executed!"  
  
"And you would let her?"  
  
"Don't smart off at me," he rebuked. "Of course I wouldn't let her. But that doesn't mean I'm prepared to put up with more violence in my house. I put up with that crap from Ryoko and Ayeka for five years." He shook his head. "I've seen what it can do. Never again, Sakuya. Do you understand me? If you *ever* pull a stunt like that again, you'll have to live somewhere else." His eyes softened, and he took her delicate hands in his large, rough ones. "But I don't want to come to that bridge, let alone cross it."  
  
"I understand, Tenchi." She turned to go.  
  
"Hold on," he said, putting a hand on her retreating shoulder. "There's something else we need to talk about."  
  
"Tenchi," she tried to explain, "I was only going to show it you..."  
  
He stopped her by gently covering her mouth with his. "I love you, Sakuya," he said when he released her, "but we already discussed this. I believe what you said, but I don't think it would have ended up that way." He laughed, blushing a little, "I only have so much control, you know." His voice turned serious once more. "Sakuya, you are incredibly beautiful, and making love to you was the most awesome thing I've ever known in my life. But we made a promise together, and if I had seen you in that little thing, I don't know if I could have kept that promise."  
  
"I understand, Tenchi. I'm sorry." She looked down at her shoes.  
  
He put his fingers under her chin, and tilted her face up toward his. It was interesting, he thought, to see her real personality emerge, after being buried under all the depression of the events of that summer in Tokyo, two years ago. She was a rascal, he thought with a smile. He kissed her. "Go on back to the house, I'll be along later.  
  
-  
  
Ayeka had fallen asleep. The soft knock on the bedroom door awakened her, and she sat up, blinking drowsily. "Come in," she called. "Lord Tenchi," she said nonchalantly when he entered. She turned away, looking out the window.  
  
"Ayeka, look at me," Tenchi commanded.  
  
No reply.  
  
"I didn't come here to yell at you," Tenchi said sternly. "I've yelled enough for one night. But if I have to just to make myself heard--"  
  
"Oh, stop it!" she snapped, turning to him. He winced when he saw the shiner around her eye. "Spare me your stupid, pretentious little fatherlike routine."  
  
"Damn you, Ayeka!" Tenchi screamed. "I told you I would yell if I had to, and now I am! Now, I am sick of this jealousy crap, and I won't put up with it another minute. Ever since she came here the first time, you've been acting like a spoiled little school girl! I don't know who to be more angry at."  
  
"That little hussy has been nothing but--"  
  
"Stop calling her that! Ayeka," he said, calming himself. He walked over and set next to her on the bed. "Look at me. Sakuya is the woman I am in love with, for all her faults, and no one else. Ryoko understands that, and it's time you accepted it, too."  
  
"I can't do that," she said, shaking her head. "I told you, you have a duty to your throne, and to your people, whether you recognize it or not. And no matter how strongly you feel about her, Sakuya has no place in the royal bloodline."  
  
"This has nothing to do with politics!" he shot back. "This is Earth, not Jurai. Those are *not* my people on that other planet seven thousand light- years away, they're Yosho's people. I told you already, I don't want to be a king, I just want to be a farmer."  
  
"Edward the Second," Ayeka muttered.  
  
"What?" Tenchi asked curiously.  
  
"Edward the Second," she repeated. "I read a little Earth history a while back. He was the king of England in the sixteenth century. But he hated it. All he really wanted to do was raise sheep."  
  
"Well, I know what happened to him," Tenchi said, "and it won't happen to me. I'm out of their reach, and I plan to stay that way." He studied her face closely. "Why didn't you put some ice on that?"  
  
"I don't need it," she said petulantly. "It will heal."  
  
"You do too, and that bruise will only get worse if you leave it like that. I'll send Sasami up with an icepack later, and she had better come back without it, understand?"  
  
She bowed her head. "Yes, Lord Tenchi. I apologize for my behavior."  
  
"It's alright, Ayeka. Get some rest."  
  
She lay down on the bed, and Tenchi planted a tender kiss on her forehead, before leaving the room. 


	5. Fourth Day

Before I begin again, I want to take the time to respond to some of my reviews.  
  
Firebird 13: Whoa, slow down, partner! I had no intention of making Ayeka evil in this fic. Now I did make her quite the antagonist, and she acts very selfish and immature throughout the story. But she has her own motivations, both personal and political, for being so at odds with Sakuya.  
  
Chronicled Realms: Glad you are enjoying it! But this next chapter is pretty dark...  
  
Tenchi Grrl: Well, I keep my sex scenes short and sweet on purpose. Being a Christian, I don't like it when those scenes get into gory, pornographic detail. I like for my scenes to be very tender, and to focus more the emotional side of sexuality than the physical side.  
  
starlightv: Thanks! Keep reading, it gets better.  
  
Whatever: Well, in this story, I assumed that all three continuities actually took place. Notice that in the beginning, I mentioned both Kagato and Doctor Clay. This means that in this story, Tenchi is half Jurian, and Washu and Ryoko are related.  
  
So, without further ado...  
  
Chapter Five  
  
Tenchi dreamt he was making love to Sakuya again.  
  
He was completely immersed in the experience; the exquisite feel of her body beneath his hands, the sweet taste of her kisses, and her soft, skillful touch. But most of all, it was the sheer emotional experience of it that amazed him. Washu had once told him that men and women had different mentalities during sex. Women, she had said, derived far more pleasure from the emotional experience of being so intimate with someone they loved than from any physical sensation. Men, she had correlated, were the exact opposite, interested most of all in physical pleasure, and hardly concerned with emotion.  
  
But Tenchi had never felt such emotion in all his life. He loved this girl, so much that he would sacrifice his life for her sake, and fight to the death anyone who tried to harm her. To think that there was a time when he had thought he would never again see her beautiful face, or know the simple pleasure of having her in his arms, and yet now was sharing this incredible intimacy with her, gave him an exuberant feeling of victory over whatever evil force had corrupted Yugi and torn Sakuya from his grasp.  
  
He was seconds from entering her when he awoke with a start.  
  
Someone was pounding on his bedroom door. He checked his clock: two forty- five a.m.  
  
He stumbled out of his bed, wondering who was bothering him at this hour.  
  
More pounding. "Alright, I'm coming, already!" he grumbled. He jerked open the door.  
  
"Washu?" he said, squinting at her in the dark, "what's going on?"  
  
"You'd better come downstairs, Tenchi. It's Sakuya."  
  
Tenchi was awake instantly. His first thought was: oh, god, she's lost the baby.  
  
He shoved past her and tore down the stairs, nearly falling. His thoughts were a blur as he ran through Washu's lab and entered Sakuya's room.  
  
Her bathroom door was open. He was inexpressibly relieved when he saw no blood, though what he did see wasn't much better.  
  
She was kneeling over the toilet in her nightgown, holding her stomach and panting as if she had run a marathon.  
  
He knelt down next to her and placed his hand on her back. "Sakuya, are you- -"  
  
She wretched again, and Tenchi cringed, as much from the sound as from the foul smell.  
  
When she seemed finished, he tore off a length of toilet paper and wiped her face gingerly, then proceeded to clean the stained neck of her nightgown.  
  
He held her for a long time, stroking her back and whispering in her ear until she calmed down. She smelled of sleep and stomach acid.  
  
He reached over and pushed the handle on the toilet, then took her face in his hands. "Are you okay now?" he asked.  
  
She nodded several times, then returned her head to his shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, Tenchi," Washu said from behind him. "It's just morning sickness. It's totally normal."  
  
Tenchi filled a small paper cup with water and handed it to Sakuya. He then stood and faced the little scientist-cum-OB/GYN.  
  
"Washu, can I talk to you privately?"  
  
She recognized the silky tone of his voice, but was not fazed by it. "Certainly."  
  
The two entered the lab and, when they were out of earshot, Tenchi unloaded on her. "Good grief, Washu, why did you wake me up for this if you knew what it was?" he yelled. "You scared the daylights out of me, I thought she was having a miscarriage!"  
  
"She asked for you," Washu said calmly. I suppose she wanted someone there to comfort her. But if you just can't be bothered--"  
  
"Stop that!" Tenchi snapped. "Of course I don't mind, but you could have been straight with me in the first place. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"  
  
"I'm sorry I frightened you, Tenchi," Washu said, "but it was the only way to get you down here."  
  
"No, it wasn't," he growled, and returned the bathroom. He offered a hand to Sakuya, and pulled her to her feet. "Go back to bed now," he said softly, leading her into the bedroom, "You'll be alright. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Don't go," she said.  
  
"Sakuya, I'll be right upstairs," he reminded her. But when he looked down at her, he saw real fear in her bloodshot green eyes.  
  
"Stay with me," she pleaded, "just for tonight, Tenchi? Please?"  
  
Oh, man. There was just no getting out of this. But if he wasn't in his room tomorrow morning, whatever his real intentions, Ayeka would have his testicles in a vice.  
  
He glanced at Washu, and she nodded. The look on her face said, trust me.  
  
He sighed heavily. "I'll get my sleeping bag," he grudgingly consented.  
  
-  
  
He awoke in his own bedroom; Washu had gotten him up a few hours after he had snuggled down in his sleeping bag, on the floor next to Sakuya's bed. With Washu's assistance, he had snuck out after they were certain she was sound asleep, and would have no more vomiting or other symptoms that night.  
  
Not that he was adverse to the idea of camping out with Sakuya, but he didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea, especially Ayeka.  
  
Breakfast was a tense affair. Sakuya and Princess Ayeka occasionally glared at one another across the table. Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Sasami made small talk, occasionally sending concerned glances at Tenchi; they had heard about last night's events. Hell, Tenchi thought, it was a wonder Ayeka's yelling hadn't been heard in America.  
  
Washu was in her lab, no doubt poring over more computer scans of Sakuya's nether regions, trying to see if there were any other problems. He wondered when Washu would tell her about The Problem, as it had come to be known in their discussions. She probably wouldn't, since the odds of it actually happening were about four-to-one or so, and it wouldn't matter for about another eight months anyhow.  
  
Ryoko was in her ususal morose morning mood. The retired space pirate chopsticked rice into her mouth a few bits at a time, washing it down with Sasami's super-strong black coffee. Sheesh, Tenchi thought, it's a good thing Ryoko can't taste anything. Coffee was the only thing in all the universe that Sasami could never quite successfully make. Despite how heavenly her cooking was, behind her back her morning brew was often referred to as "Hirohito's Poison."  
  
Outside, Noboyuki's old Volvo roared to life as he set off for work.  
  
Tenchi stood, and pushed back his plate. "Alright everyone, I'm off. See you guys this afternoon."  
  
His farewell was acknowledged by a few grunts from those who had been paying attention.  
  
He went into the living room to retrieve his bookbag, and when he turned to go, he found Sakuya standing in the doorway, in her green kimono.  
  
Sakuya wasn't at all sure if it was a good idea to say this, and was in fact quite nervous about it. What if he told her she was crazy? No, of course he wouldn't say anything like that, she thought. The worst he could say was no.  
  
"Sakuya?" Tenchi asked quizzically. "What's up?"  
  
She plunged ahead. "Tenchi, would you mind staying here today? I mean, just in case?"  
  
"Just in case of what?"  
  
"You know, in case I have another...umm, episode."  
  
Tenchi wasn't certain whether to be flattered or irritated. It felt nice to be needed, but he had never missed a day of school without being practically at death's door.  
  
He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little. "Gosh, I'd love to, Sakuya. But I really can't. I mean, I have a test today, and Nagumo would burn me at the stake if I didn't show up for class. Washu will see to you if you have anymore trouble."  
  
When he saw the disappointment on her face, he decided to compromise. "I'll tell you what," he whispered in her ear, "don't tell Grandpa, but I'll ditch my farming today, when I get back, and we can spend the afternoon together. Fair enough?"  
  
"Mmm hmmm," she nodded, beaming at him.  
  
"Good," he said, and gave her a quick peck on the mouth.  
  
"See you later, everybody." he called.  
  
-  
  
Tenchi came home that afternoon and changed out of his school uniform. As promised, he skipped his farming, locating Sakuya instead, and the two walked down to the dock out on the lake.  
  
They sat together in silence on the dock, arms around one another. Suddenly, she reached up and put a hand on his cheek, turning his face toward her.  
  
"Now what are you grinning about?" he asked flirtatiously, sliding his hands about her hips.  
  
She leaned up and pressed her mouth against his, winding her arms about his neck. "At this point, do you really care?" she giggled, between kisses.  
  
Tenchi surrendered to utter bliss as her lips moved back and forth over his. "Not especially," he mumbled.  
  
Ahh, this was great. Who needed sex, he thought. This is was almost as good, and not nearly as risky.  
  
She placed her hands against his chest and leaned her body against him, applying her weight gently, until he lay back down on the dock. Still kissing him seductively, she let her hands roam a little.  
  
Tenchi let his own hands move randomly, until her lips left his mouth and began to burn a trail down his neck. She lightly kissed the pulse at the base of his throat, her hands all the while moving lower...  
  
Tenchi stopped. "Uh, Sakuya...we shouldn't..."  
  
Fighting down his desperate desire, Tenchi took her by the shoulders and extricated himself from her, sitting up. His face was flushed, as much from physical need as from embarrassment.  
  
"Sakuya, I...I'm sorry," he stammered, "I shouldn't have let it get this far."  
  
Tears of frustration appeared in her eyes, and she turned away from him. "You're right," she sighed.  
  
"Sakuya, listen..." he began, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
  
She batted it away. "Don't, Tenchi." she said angrily. "Don't bother. Just leave me alone." She stood and walked away down the dock.  
  
He stared after her, feeling the hot twist of shame in his stomach.  
  
-  
  
He whacked the soil with the plow again and again, sending moist earth flying in all directions as he applied his anger to his work. He looked down and realized he was accomplishing nothing, except the destruction of his field.  
  
"Dammit, he cursed. He plopped down on his rear, next to his favorite tree, face in his hands. "Dammit, dammit," he cursed himself again, a million times.  
  
"You shouldn't have led her on like that," a deep feminine voice said from beside the tree. Ryoko sat next to him. "For God's sake, Tenchi, you just don't get it, do you?"  
  
"What?" Tenchi snapped. "What are you talking about, Ryoko?"  
  
"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" she scolded. "You did this to me and Ayeka for three years, you did it to Mihoshi, and now you're doing it to Sakuya."  
  
"What?!" Tenchi blurted, "Who the heck told you about..." he lowered his voice, "...about Mihoshi?"  
  
"Nobody *told* me," she retorted coldly. "I've known you since you were as high as my knees, Tenchi. I knew what happened, but I also knew it wouldn't happen again, so I kept my mouth shut, because it was none of my business or anyone else's. Anyway, this isn't about me or Mihoshi, it's about your girlfriend."  
  
"What was I supposed to do?!" Tenchi shouted. "I told her no more..." he quickly corrected his gaff, "that we couldn't do it, and I meant it."  
  
"Too late," Ryoko said, shaking her head, "I caught that."  
  
"Fine!" Tenchi shouted in her face, "So you've got my entire personal life in your head like a book. What would you have done back there if you were me? Just finish what we started, right there on the dock?"  
  
"No. You shouldn't have let her kiss you in the first place," Ryoko replied, without batting an eye. "Once it got that far, you would have been wrong no matter what you did. It was too late."  
  
Tenchi kept silent, contemplating her words. She was right; there were a million reasons to keep his hands off of Sakuya right now, besides concern about a scandal in the house. She was nearly a month pregnant, and Washu had said her hormones were bouncing around all over the place. Getting her excited would only make things worse, perhaps even hurt the baby.  
  
"Alright, look," she said, turning toward him. "Maybe you were right to turn her away this time. Hell, of course you were. But you did it for the wrong reason. Tenchi, you've got to quit punishing yourself and start thinking about Sakuya. I mean *really* think about her."  
  
-  
  
Princess Ayeka was certain she was only wasting her time. Washu would never grant her request in million years. But she had to try, simply because the situation demanded it.  
  
Washu opened the door at her knock, and Ayeka stated her business plainly. To her great surprise, Washu agreed. "However," the little scientist warned, "you should know that I'll be monitoring everything from the lab, and if you so much as--"  
  
Ayeka interrupted her with a mirthless laugh. "Really, Miss Washu," she said, shaking her head, "for all your scientific and medical genius, you can be quite daft at times. As much I would like to give Sakuya a sound pounding, Lord Tenchi would never forgive me if I put a finger on her."  
  
"Fine," Washu grumbled, ignoring the princess's condescention, "she's in her room."  
  
Sakuya looked up when Ayeka entered. "How's your eye?" she asked. Her tone was not sarcastic, Ayeka noticed. Perhaps she was genuinely concerned.  
  
"Fine, thank you," Ayeka replied evenly, fingering the skin that only yesterday had been a deep purple.  
  
"I'm sorry I hit you," Sakuya said, looking Ayeka in the eyes.  
  
"And I apologize for meddling in your things, and embarrassing you to Lord Tenchi," Ayeka reciprocated. "I suppose we should put such things behind us."  
  
Sakuya paused before replying. "I don't get it, Miss Ayeka," she finally blurted. "What have I done to you? Why do you hate me so much?"  
  
"Because you stole something from me!" Ayeka said, her voice rising. "And do not pretend that you don't know what I mean."  
  
"You mean Tenchi? Miss Ayeka, he's a human being, not a thing that someone can steal! You don't own him, anymore than I do. Besides, I didn't kidnap him, or rape him. He chose to be with me, of his own free will."  
  
Yes, Ayeka wanted to scream, that's why I hate you, because I wanted what you have, but what I want has a free will, and a mind of his own. I helped to drive him away, along with Ryoko, and together we drove him straight into your arms.  
  
"Well, you certainly weren't about to discourage him, now were you?" she asked instead.  
  
"I...Miss Ayeka, I..." she began, "no, I guess you didn't know."  
  
"Didn't know what?" Ayeka asked, her curiosity awakened.  
  
Sakuya told her about the last, tearful goodbye that she and Tenchi had shared after Yugi's defeat, and the things she had told him.  
  
"My goodness," Ayeka breathed, "you were really going to--"  
  
"Yes. I let him go," Sakuya said. She shook her head. "Of course I did, there was no other choice. The fate of the whole planet was in his hands. I had a lot more people to think about than just myself."  
  
Ayeka briefly asked herself if she could have done such a thing in Sakuya's place, and the answer she got back hurt badly. She realized that Sakuya, in those few moments, had shown more maturity and humility then her and Ryoko, combined, could have produced in their entire lives. Her hatred of Sakuya vanished and, for perhaps no more than a second, she felt deep respect and admiration toward this young woman, who had thrown herself completely on the altar, and as a result saved perhaps an entire race. No wonder Lord Tenchi was so in love with her!  
  
"But things have changed now," Sakuya went on, "and I don't have to let him go, like I thought I would." At least, she added silently, not for the sake of the human race.  
  
"I...I understand how strong your feelings are for Lord Tenchi," Ayeka responded, "but I'm afraid there's more to this situation than you realize. He is...well, to put it simply, he is quite a bit, shall we say, out of your league?"  
  
It took Sakuya a moment to digest the comment. What the heck was that supposed to mean?  
  
The princess seemed to pause for a moment, hearing more voices outside. "Well," she finally said, "speak of the devil. We'll talk more about this later. Right now, it seems you have another visitor." She quickly left the room, and was replaced by an exhausted, depressed-looking Tenchi.  
  
"What is it, Tenchi?" she muttered sullenly.  
  
"Well, hello to you too," he shot back.  
  
Sakuya was in no mood for this. "Just say whatever you're going to say, Tenchi."  
  
"What I want to say," Tenchi began more calmly, "is that I hate what happened back there, and I don't want it to happen again."  
  
"Neither do I," she agreed blandly.  
  
"Sakuya, I love you," he said plaintively. "I love you more than anything else on this planet, and I can't think of anything I enjoy more than holding you close. But I...you're carrying a baby right now, and you're very excitable. I shouldn't have touched you, and I'm sorry."  
  
She actually leapt to her feet, her eyes blazing with anger. "Oh, well that just clears everything up!" she shouted. "My goodness, Tenchi, you're just so hot, how could any woman possibly not want to have sex with you after just one little kiss?" She sneered at him, as if he were beneath her contempt. "Uuggghh, you arrogant...you make me sick!"  
  
He would rather have been kicked in the groin by a black-belt. "Dammit, Sakuya!" he yelled through his tears. "You think I like being in this position? Do you know how many guys would kill to be in my shoes? Well, they're welcome to! They wouldn't stay long, believe me. I have spent five bloody years watching two gorgeous women fight over me! And I hated every minute of it, Sakuya. I love every one of those girls; they've been like sisters to me! Do you think I stood there, going 'Yeah, they just love red- hot Tenchi Masaki. Look at how sexy I am, they just can't get enough of me!'?  
  
"No, believe me, you girls have the right idea. Being fought over sucks, especially when you finally fall in love. I can't explain my situation to anyone, or even say that it's happening without sounding like the world's biggest egomaniac!"  
  
As he went on, Sakuya felt an intense regret that pushed back her fury at him. None of this was his fault. After all, she had tried to break her promise to him. Not because of lust--she had never experienced such a thing- -but because of love. She *did* want to make love with him again, just for the intimacy that all human beings craved, just to be close to him. But couldn't they be close to one another without getting out of control?  
  
When she spoke again, her throat was hoarse from yelling, and her voice sounded tiny and far away. "I love you so much, Tenchi Masaki. You didn't ask for this, and I would never break a promise to you." She lifted her gaze from the floor, and met his eyes with a hopefull look. "You said your grandfather's a priest, right? He could take care of it. Tenchi, we could solve this mess for good, and then we could be as close as we want, without feeling guilty. Let's just get it done, Tenchi."  
  
Tenchi actually balked at what she was asking of him. He had said it himself: he wanted to marry her. And now that she was confronting him with that very decision, he couldn't bring himself...  
  
"Sakuya," he said, stepping up to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. His choclate eyes met her emerald ones. "you have no idea how much I want to propose to you. But right now, I don't think it would be wise. You're not ready for that, and neither am I. Marriage is an awfully big step, way too big for a problem this small."  
  
"Small?" she demanded. "Small? Tenchi, you're supposed to be my boyfriend, and I can't even touch you anymore!" she cried. "I'm a big girl, I can live without sex. But if I can't kiss you, if I can't even look at you that way? If we can't even have a physical relationship at all, then where is the emotional one?" She shook her head emphatically. "It would disappear. We would just be good friends, like you are with the others."  
  
"What are you saying?" Tenchi said, and edge of terror in his voice. "That you'll break up with me if I don't marry you? Go on, Sakuya. Do it!" He challenged her.  
  
A surge of angry pride gripped her. "It's done!" she shouted back.  
  
Tenchi's heart dropped into his feet. He just stood there. He couldn't even open his mouth.  
  
"Get out of my bedroom," she ordered, turning away from him. "Before someone thinks we're doing something." 


	6. Fifth Day

Chapter Six  
  
This being a Saturday, Tenchi was already in the field by seven a.m. He pulled several carrots from the soil, then turned it over with the plow and pressed the new seeds into the ground with his fingers. He turned the soil back over, and sprinkled fresh lake water over the newly sown row.  
  
Pull, plant, and water, pull, plant and water. He was just going through the motions, like he had almost every day for nearly a decade. Anything, anything at all, just to take his mind off of her.  
  
He had underestimated her. She was right--he was arrogant. He had completely dismissed the same strength of will that had enabled her to let him go when his family and planet needed him, when he wanted to stay with her, in Yugi's beautiful, cherry blossom-covered lie.  
  
Why had he said such a stupid thing to her? First he had let her think that he would make love to her on the dock, only to let her down at the last minute. Then, in a sneering tone completely unlike the tenderness he had shown since they were reunited, he had dared her to end it. He had taken her for granted, and she had given him exactly what he deserved.  
  
He heard grass underfoot nearby, and felt a rush of hope as he looked up. No, it was only Sasami. He quickly put on his best fake smile. Couldn't let her see him upset; she would ask, and he would be forced to answer. It would be unfair to burden her young mind with his problems.  
  
"Tenchi?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Hi, Sasami," he greeted. "Did you come to help out?"  
  
"No, I just want to talk."  
  
"Sure," he agreed. He sat against his tree, and patted the ground next to him. As she sat, he asked, "What's on your mind?"  
  
"Tenchi, what's wrong? Everyone is acting so strange, it's like they're all mad at each other. I know you and Sakuya had a fight, but what's everyone else upset about?"  
  
"Sasami, I...come here." He held out his arms.  
  
A little puzzled, she obiediently embraced him. "Sasami," he whispered, stroking her hair, "it's worse than you think. Sakuya and I...it's over."  
  
She gasped, pulling back from him, wide-eyed. "You broke up with her?"  
  
Tenchi shook his head. "It was her decision. You see, I said something very mean to her. I didn't mean it, but that doesn't matter now. We both said things we can't take back. I don't deserve her anymore, Sasami. I never did."  
  
"But Tenchi," she pressed, "Ayeka and I are princesses, some people even bow to us. Ayeka likes it, but I think it's kind of silly. Anyway, we've both done worse things than that. If you don't deserve for Sakuya to be your girlfriend, then Ayeka and I don't deserve what we have either. You and Sakuya are in love, you don't have to do anything to deserve each other, Tenchi! That's what love is all about!"  
  
God bless Sasami, Tenchi thought. Barely nine years old in appearance, the sweet, alien little girl was actually well over seven centuries in age, as human beings reckoned time. Because of this, her big rose-pink eyes sparkled with wisdom that rivaled even Tenchi's grandfather.  
  
"I just hope she believes that too," Tenchi replied dejectedly.  
  
"She will," Sasami encouraged, dimples showing now among the freckles on her nose. "Just give it some time. I think maybe you two just need a vacation from each other for a while."  
  
-  
  
Sakuya was doing laundry. Like Tenchi, she went blindly through the comforting procedure, not even noticing or caring that most of the clothing she was washing was already clean.  
  
Noboyuki, on the way to his car to get his briefcase, noticed the house's newest guest alone, kneeling in front of the washbucket. She was scrubbing furiously at something.  
  
He wandered over to her. "Need any help?" he asked.  
  
"Thanks, I'm fine," she replied emotionlessly.  
  
"Say," Noboyuki asked, "have you seen Tenchi? I thought maybe he'd be finished in the field by now, but I can't find him anywhere else. I don't know where he got off to."  
  
"Who cares?" she muttered.  
  
"Mmmm. So I heard," Noboyuki said sagely.  
  
Sakuya had begun to see why Tenchi mostly avoided his father. She personally found the man a little creepy. Of course, it wasn't actually him who had kidnapped her in Tokyo, forcing Tenchi to go through hell to retrieve her. Still, it seemed odd that he would be paying such attention to a girl not even half his age.  
  
"Sakuya, I wish I knew what to tell you." Noboyuki said sadly, sitting next to her. "I mean, heck, I'm not a girl. I went through this too, but when Mihoshi and I broke up a long time ago, it...wasn't like this. There were no hard feelings, it just didn't work out. I couldn't ask her to be a substitute for Achika."  
  
"Tenchi's mother?" Sakuya asked.  
  
He nodded. "She died when Tenchi was little. That's been what, fifteen years ago?" He shook his head. "I'm still trying to get over it."  
  
"I asked Tenchi to marry me!" she blurted, hurling a shirt into the murky water. "He said no."  
  
"What?!" Noboyuki breathed. "The boy can't get enough of you! I would expect him to jump for joy! Hell, you two should be on your honeymoon by now!"  
  
"There's more to it than that," she informed him. "I can't really explain it."  
  
"That's alright," Noboyuki said. "I guess it's really none of my business anyway." With that, he got up and returned to the business of searching for his briefcase.  
  
-  
  
Sasami was in a melancholy mood as she treked her way through the woods, toward home. How terrible for Tenchi, she thought. He had finally gotten Sakuya back, only to lose her again, in a different way. But of course, there was nothing Sasami could truely do, and knowing this only made her sadder. She could encourage him, try to ease the hurt a little, but she could not heal him. Only time could mend the hole in Tenchi's heart.  
  
When she at last emerged from the forest, in front of the house, she fingered her scalp, a puzzled look on her face. There was a strange car in the driveway, a little red two-door. Who was here?  
  
She entered the house, looking down at the floor as she wiped her sandals on the mat. "Kiyone, who's--"  
  
She stopped mid-sentence as she looked up. Sitting with Kiyone and Mihoshi at the kitchen table was a tall, thin blond woman. She wore plain clothing: a pair of blue denim shorts and a white tank-top. Her hair was straight, falling to her hips, but her blue eyes held the same familiar all-knowing glint.  
  
"Yugi!" Sasami shouted, her pink eyes dancing with joy. She trotted forward and threw her arms around the woman's waist.  
  
"Hello, Sasami!" Yugi said fondly as the diminutive princess stepped back.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sasami asked excitedly.  
  
"Like I said before," Yugi answered, "I thought I would drop in, and see how everyone was doing. If the tension around here is any indication, I would say not so well."  
  
Sasami looked glumly at the floor, and explained what had happened with Tenchi and Sakuya.  
  
"Goodness, what a mess," Yugi said, shaking her head. "Well, this situation will definitely need to be straightened out, and quickly! After all, this kind of defeats the whole purpose of--"  
  
"I've got an idea!" Mihoshi piped up. "Sasami, get some sticks and lighter fluid..."  
  
"Mihoshi," Kiyone warned, "the last time you had an idea involving lighter fluid, we had to replace the front wall of Tenchi's kitchen. Please, no more--"  
  
"Will you hush?" Mihoshi bristled.  
  
Kiyone was actually taken aback. Mihoshi had *never* snapped at her before. Boy, everyone really was acting different since Tenchi came apart.  
  
"No, Kiyone," Sasami said thoughtfully, "I think I know what she means..."  
  
-  
  
Tenchi was in the shrine, still doing miscellaneous chores well after noon. Specifically, he was sweeping the brick floor. He had managed for the time being to put the breakup out of his mind, and was now humming a pleasant tune as he maneuvered the little pile of grit into the dust pan. He was cracked hard on the skull by something, and whirled to see a flash of gray beard and brown oak as the bokken came at him again. He tried to grab it, but it dodged him smartly and caught him a blow to the gut. He danced about madly, dodging and weaving as Kastuhito continued the merciless attack.  
  
"Come on, Grandpa!" Tenchi objected, "I'm not in the mood for this!"  
  
"An enemy would neither be aware of your mood nor care, Tenchi-san" Katsuhito reminded him, without so much as a grunt of exertion. How did the guy do this?  
  
Allowing himself the time for that thought was Tenchi's final mistake, and with a sickening thud, he found himself on his very sore back, on the floor, with the tip of Katsuhito's bokken at his throat. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh of submission.  
  
When he opened his eyes again, his grandfather's hand was extended toward him. Tenchi took it warily; Grandpa was harsh, but surely he wasn't cruel enough to pull that old trick.  
  
He wasn't, and Tenchi was hauled to his feet. Katsuhito shook his head sadly, square spectacles glinting in the sunlight. "Tenchi," he admonished, "if you do not have the patience and presence of mind required to succeed in defending yourself, you will fail in other things as well." He turned, and as he walked out of the shrine he called, "You may consider your chores finished for today."  
  
Tenchi trudged down the steps, and stopped dead in his tracks. Facing him were two people.  
  
"Grandpa, you've got to be kidding me!"  
  
"I have never been one to joke with you, Tenchi." Katsuhito responded calmly. "I present you with your next challenge." With that, he turned and walked away.  
  
Tenchi sighed as he looked at Sakuya, and then at the steps. "What?"  
  
"What do you think?" she riposted smoothly.  
  
"Who cares what I think?" he grumbled, sitting on the steps.  
  
"I came to tell you that you were right, Tenchi. Don't make me change my mind."  
  
He looked up at her. "A little late for apologies, isn't it?" he said wryly.  
  
"Well, you have mine anyway," she stated defiantly. "What you do with it is up to you."  
  
Tenchi watched as she walked away. She stopped, and looked over her shoulder. He saw that she was wearing her first smile since yesterday afternoon. "And Tenchi?"  
  
"Yeah?" He returned her knowing grin.  
  
"If I catch you even looking at another woman, I'll hurt you."  
  
As he watched his girlfriend resume her course, he felt real happiness for the first time that day.  
  
-  
  
The moonless velvet sky was dusted with billions of silvery stars, which were obscured only by the thin wisp of smoke from the roaring campfire.  
  
Yugi, Sasami, Mihoshi and Kiyone, unaware of Katsuhito's success in restoring the resident lovebirds' apparently doomed relationship, had continued their plans unabated. They had soon recruited Ryoko, Washu, and even a very reluctant Ayeka. The men had joined in, and soon everyone but the two targets of their little scheme was aware of the campfire bash that would take place in the woods tonight.  
  
All but two conveiniently placed seats were taken.  
  
Sasami, munching absently on a sweet potato, was beginning to wonder where they were. Tenchi was probably just taking her advice from that morning, doing a little soul-searching. She felt a little frustrated, realizing that her suggestion may have been counterproductive.  
  
"So, Yugi," Kiyone asked, "Where did you get that little Miata? That's a pretty sweet ride!"  
  
"Why, I payed for it up front of course," Yugi chuckled. "The dealer was quite magnanimous about it!"  
  
Ayeka laughed. "I'm sure he was! I did the same with my Lexus, but the handsome young man selling it was obviously quite nervous. A pile a bills in front of him, and a beautiful, flirtatious woman such as myself?" She placed a hand over her bosom in a self-flattering gesture. "I don't think he quite knew what to make of the situation. I was half-afraid he would have me investigated!"  
  
"Whoa, ease off the ego, princess!" Ryoko said, slapping Ayeka lightly on the back. She took a swig from the bottle of sake in her hand. "I could have talked him out of that!"  
  
The comment got a hearty laugh from the younger generation, except for Sasami, who was not particularly partial to dirty jokes.  
  
Ayeka was in the process of preparing a smart retort when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see none other than Lord Tenchi, striding out of the trees. "Tenchi?" Ryoko asked pensively. "Where's--"  
  
"Back at the house," Tenchi answered as he sat, skewering a sweet potato and holding it over the flames. "I let her be. She just wants to be alone for a while. You guys didn't tell me you were planning a campfire tonight!"  
  
Ryoko, ignoring the latter comment, grunted cynically. "Well, that just kind of ruins the whole thing, doesn't it?"  
  
"I'm sure she'll be along," Yugi said confidently. "Anyone with a nose and an appetite can smell this food for quite a distance!"  
  
As Yugi had predicted, Sakuya appeared a few minutes later, and seeing where the only seat was, shared a knowing smile with Ryoko. She took her place next to Tenchi, and the two ate in silence, waiting for the right moment.  
  
At last, when everyone's attention had drifted away from the troubled couple, only Sasami noticed the them get up and slip quietly away, heading into the woods. She giggled softly, hoping only that Tenchi would come up for air once in a while.  
  
-  
  
Like Sasami thought, Tenchi and Sakuya were alone together. But they were not kissing. Instead, the two were locked in a solemn embrace, communicating without words their unconditional forgiveness for one another.  
  
In his arms, she experienced a flood of memories, about the times they had shared together, both before they were separated two years ago, and after they were reunited.  
  
Tenchi, standing in the middle of the living room floor, gazing in wordless shock at her, for the first time in two years.  
  
Tenchi, staring at her nude body, which she had never really been comfortable with, and seconds later holding her against him, his hands and mouth giving her a forbidden joy the like of which she had never known in her life.  
  
Tenchi, cackling hysterically at her as she retreated from a blazing stack of onion rings.  
  
Tenchi, bare-chested and bleary-eyed, his strong arms locked around her as she regained her breath after the unholy violence of morning sickness, not even caring that she was covered in sticky sweat, that her breath reeked of hydrochloric acid and half-digested food.  
  
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by warm lips on hers, and as she kissed him back, she realized something that made her heart soar with hope. They were kissing, more deeply now, tongues dancing back and forth. And despite the warm, delightfully naughty feeling of arousal uncurling in her stomach, she had not the slightest desire to have sex with him. For the first time since that night in his bed, she was totally in control of her own body and mind.  
  
Oh, she wouldn't have minded taking it farther, having him right there in the woods. But she knew he would not allow it until he could walk her down the steps of the shrine, in beautiful bridal adornment, in a *real* cherry- blossom paradise, the white petals decorating her hair. Furthermore, she found she was just as satsified with this. Making out with him like this provided a feeling of intimacy that somehow spoke volumes more than lovemaking ever could. 


	7. Sixth Day

Chapter Seven  
  
Tenchi awoke from a dreamless doze, to complete pitch black. What the...?  
  
The first thing he noticed was the hooting, chirping sounds of wildlife all around him. He was definitely not in his room.  
  
He felt dirt beneath him, and then heavy warmth pinning him to the forest floor, a pair of arms wrapped possessively around his waist.  
  
Then came the definite smell of female. Uh oh.  
  
He nudged the dozing form gently by the shoulder. "Sakuya?" he whispered. "Is that you?" It had sure as hell better not be anyone else, he thought.  
  
"Mmmmm hmmm," she mumbled, stirring a little. She lifted her head from his chest, and looked up at him. He could barely make out her features in the darkness.  
  
She kissed him. "Hey," she whispered.  
  
Tenchi was suddenly very nervous. He was only slightly relieved to find, as his eyes adjusted to the dark, that they were both fully clothed. He was still afraid he might put his hand on the ground and discover some discarded undergarment.  
  
"Sakuya," he whispered drowsily, sitting up as she moved away from him. "Did we...?"  
  
"Sleep together?" she finished with a soft chuckle. "Yep. But don't worry, sleeping was all we did."  
  
Tenchi nearly hyperventilated with relief. "Jeez, Sakuya, don't scare me like that!"  
  
"Sorry," she laughed softly. "But you're just too much fun to tease. We didn't do anything, but you make a great pillow! Hey, what time is it?"  
  
Tenchi squinted at his watch, trying to determine the position of the luminous hands.  
  
"Looks like about one-thirty in the morning," he said, standing. "We'd better be getting home, or we won't be able prove our innocence to anybody."  
  
-  
  
"So," Ryoko mentioned casually as she slid into the steaming water later that morning, "I guess you and Tenchi, *ahem*, settled your differences, if you get my drift." She punctuated the remark with an evil smirk.  
  
Sakuya rolled her eyes as she secured the towel against her bosom. "It wasn't like that," she grumbled, entering the tub. "We were just kissing, and we fell asleep in the woods. That's all." She had been through this conversation already, with Miss Washu, and was in no mood to have it again. But at least Ryoko and Kiyone would not subject her to a battery of painful, demeaning tests to prove the truth of her words.  
  
"You sound disappointed," Kiyone joined in with a snicker from her spot next to Ayeka, adjusting her towel beneath the water.  
  
"I am not!" Sakuya objected, blushing even as she did so. "Well, maybe a little," she conceded. "But Tenchi respects me, and that's what's really important to me."  
  
Ryoko had already thought up another adult-rated response, but Kiyone broke in before she could say anything. "So, now that you two are back together, when are you going to finally make a commitment, huh?"  
  
"Commitment?" Sakuya repeated, confused. "Well, we're kind of already committed..."  
  
"Of course you are, but that's not what I mean. You can't just date each other for the rest of your lives."  
  
"Oh," she said, with a look of understanding on her face. She thought about both of the topics around which their recent quarrel had revolved. "Well, we've talked about marriage a little, but--"  
  
"NO!!" Ayeka suddenly shouted; Ryoko nearly jumped out of her skin. "I forbid it!"  
  
"Excuse me?" Sakuya demanded, looking at Ayeka as if the princess were completely insane.  
  
"What's the matter with *you*?" Ryoko asked Ayeka.  
  
"Did you not listen to a word I said?" Ayeka shouted angrily at Sakuya, referring to yesterday's conversation. "Lord Tenchi is not available to you! You do not understand the situation, and I cannot explain it to you in a way you *would* understand. Suffice it to say that I have only grudgingly permitted the two of you to have a relationship at all. I will not go so far as to allow you to marry him." With that she folded her arms and tossed back her head in a clear indication that she would brook no further argument.  
  
But Sakuya was angry, and as Tenchi had learned, her bad side was not a pretty thing to see. She was not about to back down now.  
  
"And just who do you think you are?" she demanded. "His mother? Tenchi has every right to run his own personal life, and if he ever asks me to marry him, I will! Don't you *ever*--"  
  
"Sakuya!" Ryoko barked, stopping her friend's furious ranting. "Get a grip! And you," she turned to Ayeka, "lay off her for once. She hasn't done anything to you."  
  
"I'm clean enough now," Sakuya snapped, climbing out of the tub. She quickly threw her clothing on and left the room.  
  
-  
  
Tenchi was out back, digging through the tool shed for his farming implements. He looked back over his shoulder, and smiled when he saw Mihoshi, in a lawn chair on the back step, lounging in the sun. Her eyes were covered by a pair of mirror-style shades, but he knew she was watching him.  
  
Since their little encounter so long ago, he and Mihoshi had developed a surprisingly comfortable relationship. Although that night had been a mistake too monumental for words, it had created an emotional attachment between them that was difficult to describe. They did not have romantic feelings for one another, and yet shared a kind of relaxed intimacy that went beyond casual friendship in a way few people could ever understand.  
  
"Be careful," Tenchi called. "You don't want a sunburn."  
  
She smiled at his remark. It was an inside joke; Mihoshi had a tan so dark that, combined with her strawberry blond hair, it could easily have caused her to be mistaken for a Californian.  
  
"Tenchi?" she called as he headed past her, toward the field.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm glad you and Sakuya are back together."  
  
"Thanks. So am I." Sensing a longer conversation in the works, he put down his plow and watering can, and sat down on the porch next to her chair. "I suppose we never really broke up." He shrugged. "It was just a fight, everyone has them."  
  
"I know," she agreed, removing her shades, "but this was your first really big one and...well, I'm glad you got through it. They say the first one is always the worst."  
  
"I hope that's true," he laughed. "Boy, you wouldn't think she could yell like that, just from a first impression. She's usually so sweet and shy." He turned to her and smiled. "She's alot like you, you know."  
  
She blushed. "Tenchi!" she said quietly, fingers over her lips.  
  
"Relax, I'm not flirting with you," he said. "Good grief, Sakuya would kill me. But seriously, you two have a lot in common; I'm surprised she didn't take to you quicker than she did Ryoko and Kiyone. Well, opposites attract, I guess."  
  
A shadow appeared on the porch, and Tenchi turned around to see the subject of the conversation, her hair still damp and mussed from the onsen. "Sakuya," he greeted, beaming. "We were just talking about you. Have a seat." He patted the deck next to him.  
  
But she shook her head, a tight-lipped expression on her face. "We need to talk," she said, her voice neutral.  
  
Tenchi's stomach fluttered. *Oh, boy, not again.*  
  
"Uhhh, sure," he stammered, trying to sound casual. He gathered his things and stood. "Walk with me."  
  
-  
  
She was silent for a long time as they walked, the great brown field looming in the distance.  
  
Finally she stopped, and turned to him. "You lied to me," she accused.  
  
"What?!" Tenchi blurted. "Lied to you? About what? What the hell are you talking about?" he demanded.  
  
"Well," she backtracked, "I suppose it wasn't lying, exactly. But you're not telling me the truth, either."  
  
"I...I don't know what you mean."  
  
"It's Miss Ayeka," she explained, more calmly. "She keeps saying you're not available, like there's...is there someone else, Tenchi?"  
  
Oh, hell. Tenchi vividly remembered her reaction the last time she thought he was cheating on her. Seeing her angry was one thing, but to see tears in her eyes was a thousand times worse, especially when he thought they might be his doing. Fortunately, it was an easy question to answer.  
  
"No," he replied succinctly, looking her dead in the eyes. "The only person I'm taken by is you! I love you, Sakuya, and no one else."  
  
"Then what in the world does that mean? How are you not available?"  
  
Tenchi's eyes widened when he realized what she was talking about. Oh boy, how to explain this? Hey, guess what, sweetheart? I'm the crown prince of another planet! Want to go get lunch?  
  
He thought for a moment, then slowly drew Tenchi-ken from his belt, and ignited the firey blue blade.  
  
Sakuya examined it dubiously. "Well, that's really cool, but what does it have to do with my question?"  
  
Tenchi extinguished the blade, and hefted the hilt in his left hand. "Well, it's not really mine," he began. "It was sort of entrusted to me, by Ayeka's family."  
  
"You know her family?" Sakuya asked. "But isn't she some kind of princess or some--ohhhh..."  
  
Tenchi watched her green eyes widen as she put two and two together. She nearly choked on the next sentence. "Your...fiancee?"  
  
"No. She was supposed to be, but it was an arranged marriage, and I never agreed to it." He spent the next few minutes telling her about Jurai, the current uncertain future of that planet's government, and his preemptive abdication of the throne and its lofty responsibilities. He turned his back to her, looking out at the field. "Nobody tells me how to run my life, Sakuya, no matter how powerful or political they are." He turned again, and gazed at her with a warm smile. "I love this planet, and I love you. I'm not going anywhere without you."  
  
"But why didn't you tell me all this in the first place?" she demanded.  
  
"Are you kidding? Isn't it obvious, Sakuya? I thought you would never believe me. I'm shocked that you actually do!"  
  
To Tenchi's great surprise, she broke up laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" he asked, somewhat irritated.  
  
"*That's* supposed to be a weird story?" She was still laughing intermittently. "So, you're a prince, of another planet! I'm an immortal being from another *dimension*, Tenchi, I can believe stranger things than that!"  
  
That caught Tenchi off guard. He looked at the ground, thoroughly embarrassed. "I...I completely forgot about that. I guess I owe you an apology."  
  
Her demeanor gradually became serious once more. She stroked his shoulder, looking up at him. "Do you...feel anything for her?"  
  
He shrugged. "I guess I had a bit of a crush on her when we first met, but that was before you." He gave a small chuckle. "She's not really my type, anyway. Come on." He started again toward the field, motioning her to come along.  
  
"I won't get mad, you know," she assured with a chuckle, giving him a conniving look. "I'm just asking. Come on, admit it. You at least think she's pretty?"  
  
Tenchi began pulling up a row of carrots. "Sure," he said, not looking up from his chore, "she looks okay. Ryoko is pretty darn attractive, too. And Ayeka has a lot of money and power." He shook his head as he dumped the load of vegetables in the basket. "But it takes more than that."  
  
"Indeed it does," a childlike voice put in from the treeline. Tenchi looked up to see Yugi, once again a strikingly pretty little girl. "And that is something both of you have done well to recognize, given your young age."  
  
"Hey, Yugi," Tenchi greeted with a smile. "Glad to have you with us. How long will you be staying?"  
  
"Until Tuesday," she answered laconically. "Sakuya, could you excuse us for a moment, please?"  
  
Sakuya gave a nonchalant shrug, and departed for the house.  
  
"So, why the little kid again?" Tenchi inquired.  
  
"I like this form for meaningful conversations," she explained. "It seems to have a greater impact on my listeners."  
  
Tenchi placed the basket of vegetables on the ground. "Um, Yugi," he said quietly, "I'm sorry I never really thanked you properly for bringing Sakuya back. She means the whole world to me. I guess our relationship isn't exactly perfect, but I could hardly stand myself after she left."  
  
"Mmmm," Yugi mumbled thoughtfully, in a way that reminded Tenchi very much of his grandfather. "Now, isn't that an interesting coincidence? It is Sakuya that I wish to talk to you about."  
  
Tenchi scratched his scalp, clearly puzzled. "What about her?"  
  
Yugi's smile disappeared, and her demeanor became very business-like. Her icy eyes bored into him. "I brought her back for a reason, Tenchi. A certain, ah, stipulation, if you will. I didn't tell you about it that night because I thought it would already be understood. It would seem I was mistaken."  
  
Tenchi gave no outward sign, but he bristled mentally. He did not appreciate the implication that he was stupid.  
  
"You have a decision to make, Tenchi. And you will need to make it quickly. Now, I do not intend to threaten you, but for your own sake, you must decide where your relationship with Sakuya is, regarding the depth of your feelings for one another, and where it will go from here.  
  
Sakuya is going to bear a child, a gift both to her and to you. She is emotionally fragile as it is; I will not see her forced to raise that child alone."  
  
"But, I..." Tenchi began, searching desperately for the right words. "I love her, I know that for sure. She's mentioned us getting married before." He shook his head. "She's not ready."  
  
"Then you must prepare her, just as Washu is preparing her to be a mother." Yugi insisted. "You have eight months; that should be plenty of time."  
  
When he gave no reply, her expression softened. "You say that you love Sakuya, and I think that is true. Do you believe she loves you? Tenchi, I know how badly you want this, but something is holding you back. I don't know what it is, but I know that all your life you have feared commitment. The time for that is over." She held out her hand, and in her palm was a small gold object. "I have even covered your expenses. All you have to decide is whether or not you will go through with it, and if so, the time and place."  
  
Tenchi took the engagement ring and pocketed it. "Thanks, Yugi. I'll... think about it."  
  
-  
  
As the blistering hot water pounded away at his skin, pressure-washing the dirt and sweat from his body, Tenchi continued to ponder Yugi's request. The thought was almost too daunting to wrap his mind around. Propose to Sakuya? After he had turned down the exact same proposal from her, told her she was not yet able to handle a marriage? Surely he would look like a total fool.  
  
But Yugi had made it very clear that if he could not offer Sakuya a permanent relationship, then she, Yugi, would find someone who could. The thought of another man's hands on Sakuya made him want to run downstairs right now and give her that ring.  
  
But that was foolish, of course, he thought as he entered his room and began dressing. He was hitching his pants up when he caught a small flash of light out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Hey, handsome," the familiar sultry voice said.  
  
"Hi, Ryoko," Tenchi said, without even turning around. "You must be in a good mood today." Or a little drunk, he added silently as he worked the towel across his back. It was one of the few times in the last two years that Ryoko had done anything remotely related to flirting with him.  
  
"A hot bath and a cold drink works wonders for me," she said, sprawling out in Tenchi's desk chair. "Not to mention seeing Ayeka get really blood- boiling pissed. That works every time."  
  
"What's Ayeka upset about?" Tenchi asked absently, digging in his pocket for the ring Yugi had given him. Shouldn't have left that in my jeans, he thought. Lucky it didn't get washed.  
  
"Long story," she laughed. "Let's just say it involved her and Sakuya."  
  
Now there's a big surprise, Tenchi thought, allowing himself a smirk as he proceeded to fasten his zipper, while holding on to the ring at the same time. The effort proved a little too clumsy, however, and it slipped from his grasp, the metal band clinking on the floor.  
  
Tenchi gasped, when he saw Ryoko staring at it. "On second thought," Ryoko muttered, eyes glued to the floor, "maybe I'll just make it short."  
  
Tenchi gave a defeated sigh. "It's for Sakuya. Please, Ryoko, don't tell anyone!" he begged. "It was Yugi's idea. I don't know if I'll even go through with it. I don't know how the others would react, especially Ayeka."  
  
"Relax, will ya?" Ryoko admonished. "I won't tell anybody. Unless that thing is for me, of course," she teased, then turned serious again. "Speaking of secrets, what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room, got it? Look, me and the girls were down in the onsen today, right? And Kiyone mentioned to Sakuya the possibility of you popping the question."  
  
"Uh-huh," Tenchi nodded.  
  
"Well, Ayeka threw a fit. She jumped all over the girl about how you were off limits. Sakuya jumped right back and swore that...well, long story short, if you're gonna give her that ring, the time is now."  
  
Tenchi bent down and picked up the ring, then turned his back to her, gazing out the window. "That's what Yugi said." He gave a long sigh. "I just don't know, Ryoko. It all seems too fast."  
  
"What do you mean, too fast?" Ryoko asked. "You've known Sakuya since college. What's really going on, Tenchi? She's not upset about the whole Mihoshi thing, is she?"  
  
Tenchi turned quickly and looked at her. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  
  
"You did tell her about Mihoshi?" she asked, a horrified look on her face.  
  
Tenchi did not reply. He looked at the floor.  
  
"You idiot!" Ryoko shouted, leaping out of the chair. "You slept with the girl, you're getting ready to propose to her, for God's sake! And you weren't even planning on telling her you're not a virgin?! What if you had gotten Mihoshi pregnant or something?"  
  
"It doesn't matter!" Tenchi shot back. "It was just a one-night stand! It happened ages ago. If Mihoshi had gotten pregnant, she'd have had the baby by now; I think it would be pretty obvious. Besides, telling Sakuya wouldn't accomplish anything, it would just make her upset."  
  
"I don't care!" Ryoko insisted. "Who knows? Maybe she would kick you in the cherries; I wouldn't blame her. Or maybe she'll understand, Tenchi. Whatever happens, you owe it to Sakuya to take your chances and tell her about this."  
  
"You're right," Tenchi said. He gave her a worried look. "I should be willing to trust her."  
  
-  
  
"You did WHAT?!"  
  
"It was a long time ago, Sakuya! Look, there is nothing going on between me and Mihoshi. It was one time, and it was the biggest mistake of my life! We both swore it would never happen again..."  
  
He trailed off, because she started chasing him around the living room, pounding on his shoulders and back with her fists. "You stupid, stupid JERK!! You could have" WHACK "told me" WHACK "that you slept" WHACK "with another girl!!"  
  
"Obviously not!" Tenchi shouted back, then reproached himself for being a smartass. He finally turned and faced her, expecting another rain of blows. Instead, he saw her fury quickly turning to tears. He immediately reached out to her. She would not let him touch her, but she appeared ready to listen.  
  
"You had better have a damn good explanation," she cursed, a habit acquired from Ryoko.  
  
"I do," he promised. He sat on the couch. Sakuya remained standing, her arms folded in a clear gesture of impatience.  
  
"It happened right after you...well...went away," he began.  
  
-  
  
Two years earlier  
  
Tenchi hated hospitals. They were all depressing, and the enormous, high- quality facility in Kurashiki was no exception. With him in the waiting room sat Ryoko and Ayeka, and a glassy-eyed Mihoshi, the stickyness of tears still visible on her face.  
  
Kiyone would make it, the doctors had told them initially, but she wouldn't be the same for a long time.  
  
The Masaki family still did not know all the details of what had happened, only that their resident Galaxy police officer had been shot in the performance of her duties.  
  
The worst part was actually seeing her. Tenchi winced when he entered room 1241 of the north wing. God, how many bullets had she taken?  
  
Kiyone's left leg and chest were swathed in bandages, and she was barely conscious because of all the drugs, but she was awake enough to notice his presence. She managed a weak "Hey."  
  
He said nothing, but took her hand and sat next to her bed for a long time.  
  
At home late that evening, Tenchi was solemnly preparing for bed when heard the knock on his door. A tan face and a heap of blond hair appeared around the edge.  
  
"Can I come in?" Mihoshi asked.  
  
Tenchi would later wonder why she had sought comfort from him--he was himself still grieving over the week-old loss of his first love, Sakuya. Perhaps Mihoshi found Ryoko and Ayeka too steely and hard-nosed; she didn't really know Washu or Sasami very well, despite having lived with them for so long.  
  
He held out his arms, and she stepped into his embrace. He held her gently, and they took comfort from each other's closeness. Eventually he began to feel a stirring in his belly that he knew he should not be feeling. The reasonable part of his brain told him that it was just a physical reaction, from being so close to a female, and that the whole family would be best served if he studiously ignored it. But when they separated, it was only by a few inches. Tenchi watch her face as her eyes came to rest on his lips. She feels it too, he realized.  
  
"This...Mihoshi, this isn't a good idea," he stammered.  
  
"I know," she whispered. "I don't care."  
  
Despite every alarm blaring away in his brain, he found no will to resist her as her lips touched his. Her kiss was soft and gentle, and he found himself drawn into it, addicted to the sensation of making out with her. He knew he should stop this right now, but he kept putting it off. Just one more second, he kept telling himself, just one more second, and I'll end it.  
  
But one more second found her hands straying toward the waistband of his jeans, and reason abandoned him. Oh, God, he couldn't stand this anymore. He needed comfort, too. It need not have been sexual, but sex would certainly fit the bill, and temptation would not let him say no.  
  
She leaned against him, and he let himself tumble onto the bed with her. What followed was the most fast and furious three minutes of Tenchi Masaki's life. He had fought Kagato and nearly lost his life, he had run from a wrathful Ryoko and Ayeka as they chased him and Sakuya down the streets of Tokyo, firing energy blasts at the hated couple all the way. But for all that, he had never experienced anything as wild and frantic as making love with Mihoshi Kuramitsu.  
  
They were all over each other, kissing and groping, sending clothing flying everywhere. When it was all over, Tenchi looked down at the naked blonde in his arms, and experienced a feeling of self-loathing so intense it was nearly suicidal.  
  
-  
  
Present Day  
  
"It never should have happened, whether you were gone or not," Tenchi admitted. Then he temporized, "but I thought you were gone forever, Sakuya! I thought I would never see you again. If something ever happened to me, I would expect *you* to move on."  
  
She sat on the couch, her back to him, and said nothing. He touched her shoulder gently, and was surprised when she did not resist. "Sakuya, are...are we going to break up over this?"  
  
She turned to him. "No," she said quietly, looking up at him. "No, of course not. You're right, it wasn't like you were cheating on me." She brushed a length of hair behind her ear with her fingers. "But you still should have told me," she added petulantly. "Either told me, or sent me back to my room. I had a right to know, Tenchi."  
  
"I know you did," he agreed. "I'm sorry, Sakuya."  
  
"Sorry doesn't cut it," she rebuked. "Sorry doesn't take away that night." But then she smiled, forgiveness showing clearly in her emerald eyes. "But it's all you--oh God, not again," she suddenly grunted, clutching her stomach. Her cheeks turned a faint shade of green. "Sakuya!" Tenchi snapped, "are you all--"  
  
But she was already barreling toward Washu's lab, and her private bathroom, with a hand over her mouth. 


	8. Seventh Day

Okay, after a couple of years, here it is. Finally! Sorry that took so long, but I have some good excuses. Read my own review of the story to see them. And before I get any flames about the ending, the story isn't over yet! The epilogue is already in progress. It's basically intended to tie up the story in a neat little package, with a good strong dose of happily-ever-after.

But first, Chapter 8 brings Sakuya's first week in the Masaki home to a close. So without further ado, here we go. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

The next morning, Tenchi stood outside her bedroom door, waiting, and shook his head. She was at it again.

Morning sickness, according to Washu, came in as many degrees and variations as there were pregnancies; some women never experienced it at all. But Sakuya's case was becoming so severe that Washu was making noises about putting her on an intravenous line, lest she dehydrate, causing all sorts of havoc to ensue.

She emerged, looking quite the worse for wear, and Tenchi was waiting with a warm, damp rag with which to wash her face, and a small cup of water.

"You okay?" he asked, putting his arm about her. Silly question, he thought.

-

Ayeka stood at the doorway to the lab, watching Lord Tenchi as he tended Sakuya. How attentive he was, always jumping to her side at the first sign of trouble. The princess's jealousy faded a little. Had it been her, she thought, she might have found such devotion a little excessive. She had been ill before, and all the family, courtiers, and doctors hovering around her hadn't made things any easier.

And yet Lord Tenchi was different. All the girls had suffered various bumps, bruises, and illnesses during their time in the Masaki home, but he had handled each of them differently. He seemed to know exactly how much attention each one needed, and what kind.

She had seen how his diplomatic skills had come into play, too. The slightest bit too much worry or attention always drew jealousy from the others, including her, which would cause Lord Tenchi to react with anger and indignation, swearing that he had done nothing for the person in question that he wouldn't have done for any of them.

Ayeka believed that. As inappropriate as his situation may have looked from the outside, he would never take advantage of any of them, her least of all.

She decided to return to her morning chores, to avoid the appearance of spying.

As she stood at the sink, washing the morning's dishes, she asked herself why she had never been able to accept Tenchi's rejection of her the way Ryoko had. She began taking an emotional inventory.

Of course, she really did love Lord Tenchi. That was what Ryoko had never seemed to realize. Ayeka had always viewed Ryoko's attraction to Tenchi as little more than teenage lust, which would certainly explain why she was always glomping and groping the poor man, never giving him a moment's peace.

But that was a misjudgement now, wasn't it? After all, Ryoko had undergone such a change since the mess with Yugi, that it wasn't really fair to hold her to the past that way.

In any case, it was the other reason that really haunted her. It was so selfish, so animal, that it left her deeply ashamed, and she could sum it up in a single word: politics.

Emporer Azusa's rule on Jurai was failing. The people were growing restless. They called the emporer weak, soft, liberal. Such politically juvenile name-calling was hardly a threat, until other factions started to appear who wanted to put their families on the throne. Jurai was no democracy, but politics took its course there like everywhere else and, although Ayeka loved her father, she secretly agreed with some of the complaints about his policies. If things kept going in the current direction, her planet would soon be under new management.

But Lord Tenchi was the rightful heir to the throne of Jurai, and Aykea saw in him the hope of restoring her family's popularity, and bringing strength and stability back to the royal court.

Much to her chagrin, however, Tenchi had refused that responsibility over and over again. Her thoughts turned to their little talk in his room one night, nearly a week ago, and she struggled in her mind to accept the fact that her and Tenchi were simply not going to have a future together, on Earth or Jurai.

-

Tenchi gently pushed open the door to the lab, and peered inside, looking about for Washu. He spotted her off in the distance, tapping away at her computer, and joined her.

"How is she?" he asked.

"Asleep." she replied quietly, without looking up from her work. "She's lost a lot of electrolytes, from all the vomiting. I thought about giving her antiemettics, but it's just too risky. No way am I giving drugs to a pregnant woman." She turned to him. "She'll be back on her feet by this evening. You can go look in on her if you want." She gestured to the bedroom door.

He nodded. "Sure. Thanks, Miss Washu."

Sakuya lay on her side, snoring gently. The sheets were rumpled, like she had been moving in her sleep, and her hair was tousled and greasy-looking. Tenchi pulled the chair over from her desk, carefull to avoid bumping the I.V. machine, and sat down next to the bed, watching her sleep. Her side rose and fell rythmically with her breathing, and every now and then she would twitch a little, or mumble something. Tenchi smiled fondly. Even with her hair limp and greasy, and a needle in her arm, she was still beautiful. He reached out and stroked her hair, carefull not to wake her.

He was going to do it, he decided. No more games, no more indecision. Tonight, when she was up again and thinking clearly, he would take her on a stroll down to the lake, and ask her to be his wife. She deserved it. She was ready.

But are you? he asked himself. Ryoko was just a friend. Ayeka loved him, but he simply did not feel that way about her, and there was nothing either of them could do to change that. She was like a sister to him, and nothing more or less than that. Mihoshi? Now there was a tough question. Despite Sakuya's fury upon finding out about the whole incident, she had forgiven him, or at least was in the process of doing so. He had no romantic feelings for Mihoshi, but that night would always be in his memory, as well as hers. And they were very close, even closer than he was with Ryoko. Put that behind you, his heart told him. You've made your peace about it. It was wrong, very wrong, but you sought forgiveness, and got it. Dwelling on the past will only make it harder for you to stick with your decision.

Sakuya turned over on her back, and her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," she said, when she saw him. Her color was starting to come back, he noticed.

"How do you feel?" he asked, stroking her forehead; the touch was partly out of affection, and partly to see if she had a fever.

"A little better, I guess." She slowly sat up. "Just weak. And thirsty."

Yeah, she had to be pretty dry, he thought, since she hadn't had anything to drink since last night.

"I know," he sympathized. "But sorry, you'll have to keep your stomach empty, until you get off this thing." He patted the machine next to him.

She gingerly rubbed the hole in her skin where the needle was inserted. "This thing hurts," she complained, then lay back down on the bed. "Pregnancy is such a drag. I wish could just have this baby and get it over with."

That's not funny, Tenchi almost rebuked, remembering the big early-morning scare a couple of days ago. But he held his tongue: she meant no harm by the remark.

"Well, there's not much of a baby to have yet," he said instead. "Besides, I think the idea of another person growing inside you is pretty wild." He added with a laugh, "Not that I would want to go through it myself!"

-

"You are certain you want to do this?" Katsuhito asked.

"Certain that I want to?" Ayeka asked. "No. But I am positive that I will do it."

Katsuhito turned his back to her, looking out the window of the shrine office. "This would be a drastic step. Once carried out, the decision cannot be reversed.

"You think I don't know that?" Ayeka snapped. "Do you think I would effectively disown my own family on a whim? I did not come to this choice lightly, Yosho.

Kastuhito turned to her again. He looked into her eyes, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course not. I understand your dillema, Ayeka. I regret that I have no council to offer you, except that you take a little more time to think about this. The formalities have not yet been completed. There is still time to change your mind."

"I have taken all the time I need, Yosho," she assured. "My decision is made. I would rather accept Lord Tenchi's friendship than be separated from him by thousands of light years."

"What of Sasami?" Katsuhito asked.

"She will face this choice as well, but I think she will feel the same way I do. Somehow, I don't think she has it in her soul to put politics ahead of her loved ones." She paused. "This of course, will mean a new family line on the throne." She stood, and gave a bittersweet smile. "Whoever they may be, may they rule with courage and wisdom, and may their days be blessed."

She stepped forward, and knelt before him. "I am ready."

"Very well." Katsuhito began the Jurian incantation, asking her to confirm her decision once more. She did, and he stooped down and removed the tiara from her head. "You should change clothes now."

-

Tenchi was on his way up the familiar path to the field, when he met Ayeka, returning from the shrine office. His eyes widened when he saw the simple shift she was wearing, and noticed the little crown was missing from her hair.

"Ayeka?" he asked. "What happened? Why are you dressed like that?"

She smiled, and breathed a sigh that sounded as if a world of weight had been taken off her shoulders. "I made a decision, Tenchi," she said in a happy tone. That she had dropped the 'Lord' part did not escape his notice. "It was a difficult one, but now that it's done, I feel very good about it."

Tenchi felt the shock register as it dawned on him what she had done.

"Ayeka," he breathed, "you...you didn't have to do that!"

"But I did," she countered gently. "I had a choice between two families, Tenchi. I chose this one."

Tenchi was flabbergasted. He didn't know what to say. One the one hand, he felt guilty. She had done this for him? No, he thought. He had to put that aside. Despite appearances, not everything these young women did was all about him. As he had told Sakuya two days ago, the temptation to be arrogant was a hard one to resist.

He stepped close and embraced the former princess. "You're family, Ayeka," he whispered. "I love you. We all love you." He drew back and looked into her eyes. He saw in those eyes something he had been waiting to see for a long time. The princess had finally matched emotional steps with Ryoko.

"I'm so pround of you, Ayeka." He struggled not to cry. "I know this took a lot of guts, and I promise I'll support you on it."

-

As Washu had predicted, Sakuya was feeling a little better when the sun set. She lifted herself out of her bed, and stretched her arms. Boy, that felt good. After lying in that bed, vegetating all day, Sakuya thought she was going to go crazy if she didn't get up and move around.

She parted the front of her robe, and glanced at her belly, rubbing the wrinkles left in her skin by the sheets.

She still felt weak and grouchy, and her back hurt. She wondered what time it was; it was hard to tell time after spending all day in a room with no windows.

Pulling the I.V. machine with her, she made her way across the room. A glance in the mirror made her grimace. You look terrible, she told herself. Her hair was greasy and messy, and her eyes were dull. She wanted a shower, but what to do about this blasted machine? How did you turn it off? She bent down and examined the controls, but the display and keypad were covered in cryptic symbols and acronyms that were gibberish to her.

She gave up, and was about to just pull the needle out of her arm when the door opened, and a beaming Washu appeared. "You wouldn't be able to use it anyhow," she said, pointing at the machine, "the controls are locked. So, I see you're feeling better."

"A little. Just tired." Sakuya swallowed, and felt her stomach rumble. "I could use something to eat."

Washu shook her head. "Not yet. Water or green tea until I know you and the baby can handle anything else. Oh yeah," she said nonchalantly as she moved toward the I.V. machine. "You missed the action this evening."

"What happened?" Sakuya asked, watching as Washu punched in the access code and turned the machine off. She winced as the needle was removed from her arm.

"It's a long story. I'll let you find out for yourself." She changed the subject. "Since I'm guessing you want to take a shower anyway, this seems like a perfect time for a checkup."

Sakuya obiediently stripped and sat on the bed. The little scientist took her blood pressure, temperature, and other vital signs, and inserted probes into her mouth, ears, and vagina.

"Well, you're in better shape than you were." Washu assessed. "But I still want you to take it easy for a while. You're exempt from chores for the next couple of days, and no soild food until furter notice." She tossed Sakuya her street clothes. "Congradulations, you're free to go."

-

As Sakuya left the lab and entered the living room, she saw a surprised Ryoko and Kiyone sitting on the couch. "Hey, look who's up!" Kiyone greeted, elbowing Ryoko.

"About time," Ryoko agreed. "Dinner's almost ready."

"How you feelin', girl?" Kiyone asked.

In spite of herself, Sakuya smiled for the first time that day. Miss Washu meant well, of course, but it was nice to be greeted by someone who wasn't quite so clinical about it. "Better," she said. "It feels great just to be moving around again."

"Naaagh, exercise is overrated," Ryoko said with a dismissive wave. "Except for the hanky-panky method," she laughed.

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "You're a sick woman, Ryoko. Hey, Sakuya," she paused, "Ayeka's been looking for you. She probably thinks you're still asleep.

"Great," Sakuya muttered. "She probably wants to have me beheaded for missing chores this morning."

"Well," Ryoko shrugged, "it's either chat with the Princess, or listen to me and Kiyone tell dirty jokes."

"That's a good point," Sakuya laughed. "You two come up with some pretty raunchy stuff. Guess I better go see what her Royal Highness wants."

-

Ayeka sat on the back steps, watching the stars get brighter, and thinking about her newfound freedom.

She was quite surprised at herself. She had expected to be thoroughly depressed after giving up the crown, a thing that, for so long, had given her life meaning. But after leaving the shrine office, when she looked around herself and saw what she had traded her royalty for, all the silver, gold, and political power in the universe seemed so small in comparison. This was her life now. Sasami, and Kiyone, and Ryoko. Even Sakuya. And of course, Tenchi.

She knew, of course, where Tenchi and Sakuya's relationship was eventually headed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Sakuya," she said tonelessly, without turning around. "Good evening. I'm glad to see that you are well again."

"You wanted to see me?"

She turned around this time, and smiled. "Yes, actually." She waved. "Come, sit."

Sakuya's eyes widened a bit. Okay, she thought, what in the...?

She sat next to Ayeka, and nothing was said for a long time. Sakuya finally decided to speak first. "Which one?" she asked, gesturing at the sky.

Ayeka chuckled. "Funny that you should ask. It's none of them, actually." At Sakuya's blank look, she explained. "I'm no astronomer, but I think Jurai's sun is in a very obscure southern constellation of this world. It can't be seen from Japan; we're too far north."

Ayeka said nothing else for a long time, then decided to get down to business. "Tenchi will ask you to marry him. No one told me this, but I know it in my heart." She turned, and looked at Sakuya. "You should say yes."

She watched the play of emotions across her former rival's face as the words registered. "But you were so upset about it," Sakyua said with amazement. "You said..."

"I know," Ayeka interrupted. "I spoke out of anger. Forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you, but...are you sure?"

She put a hand on Sakyua's shoulder. "Sakuya, you have Tenchi's love. This decision belongs to you now. You should follow your heart, not mine."

"My heart says--" Sakuya began, stumbling over her words. "I don't know. There are things about me that Tenchi doesn't understand. In his defense, I don't think anyone else would, either."

"Tenchi understands more than you know, Sakuya. Please understand, I am not attempting to pressure or manipulate you."

Both women fell silent again for about a minute.

"Miss Ayeka?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

Ayeka took some time to consider her response to such a deceptively simple phrase. Several options presented themselves. She decided on the safest one. "You're quite welcome."

-

"So, can we still call you princess?" Ryoko asked over dinner that evening. Tenchi's smile faded a little. He would have to talk to Ryoko about that later. Ayeka still appeared to be at peace with herself about her abdication, but the heart was a mysterious thing, and only the owner could truly understand what happened there. At the very least, a little sensitivity was called for.

Ayeka nodded. "You may, if you find it more confortable."

Mihoshi joined in: "So what do you want to do next? Are you gonna look for a job?"

Ayeka paused. "Well, I hadn't considered that. I suppose there are many places in the city that would be willing to hire me." She suddenly laughed. "But how would I tell an interviewer about my administrative experience?"

"Tell them it's stellar," Kiyone laughed. "Tell them it's out of this world!"

Washu coughed, and everyone got quiet. "You know, I could use some help in the lab," she suggested. "There would be a pretty healthy salary involved. Okay, well, it wouldn't be quite what you're used to, but you could make yourself a pretty comfortable living. What do you say?" She put on her best Darth Vader impression. "Come work for me, Ayeka," she boomed in a deep baritone. "Join the dark side."

It got a good laugh, something everyone needed. Tenchi watched in silence as the others talked, laughed, and ate. At last, he decided the time was right. He stood, and excused himself. As he was heading toward the door, he gave a discreet nod to Sakuya.

-

Hand in hand, they strolled down the path to Lake Funaho. "You do this every night?" Sakuya asked.

"Well, I used to," Tenchi said with a grin. "But I haven't been walking this past week; things have been a little hectic." He took a deep breath of fragrant night air. "Man, it's great to be out here again." He sat on the ground, leaning against the same tree where he, Ryoko, and Mihoshi had been stargazing when all this started. It seemed like a million years ago. "Here we are," he said, patting the ground next to him.

Sakuya sat, and leaned her head on his shoulder. Tenchi wound his arm about her, enjoying the sensation. But the feeling soon faded, and he became nervous as he remebered why he had brought her here. His hand went to his hip pocket, feeling. The ring was there.

"Sakuya?" he said. "I...need to ask you something." Adrenaline squirted into his bloodstream. What if she said yes? Was he really, truly ready? There was only one way to find out, and he had already started down the path. No turning back, now.

"Yes, Tenchi. I will," she whispered.

That only made his anxiety worse. She hadn't even let him finish! What if they weren't even talking about the same thing? He took the ring from his pocket with one hand, and gently held her wrist with the other. She looked up at him as he prepared to slide the ring onto her finger. "On one condition," she said, stopping him for a moment.

Oh, God. Here he was, a nervous wreck, trying to find the courage to ask the woman he loved to bind herself to him. To forsake every other man on Planet Earth. To cook meals with him, sleep with him every night, and perhaps be the mother of his children. And she was dragging this out! He felt a twinge of resentment toward her, but quickly supressed it.

"What is it, Sakuya?"

She stood. "There's something I have to show you, Tenchi. You need to understand."

And then she fainted.

"Sakuya!" Tenchi cried, leaping up to catch her body as it slumped to the ground.

He knelt over her, checked her breathing, her pulse. Nothing. Holy...was she dead!

Something caught the corner of his eye, and he turned, and looked up. He almost fainted himself.

It was beautiful. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Then it spoke to him, not with words out loud, but in his mind. There was no voice, either outside or in his head. The knowlege simply materialized in his brain, and he understood. It was Sakuya.

What his eyes saw was a brilliant, blue-white light. It was not a sphere or a cube; it had no discernable shape. It was like a star, only much smaller, right here on Earth.

He began to understand as she--she? it?--imparted the knowlege to him.

Now he knew. He knew what his beloved girlfriend, possibly his fiancee, was. He had been told before, but had forgetten, the events of that first morning lost in the hectic business of seven days of life. Now he was seeing it with his own eyes. Now he knew.

The brilliant light faded, leaving him in the familiar darkness of night. To his overwhelming relief, the form slumped in his arms began to move again. Sakuya blinked her green eyes, and looked about. Slowly, her eyes came to focus on him. "Sakuya!" he breathed. "Oh, thank God! Are you okay?"

She gently seperated herself from him, stood, and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine," she said, as if nothing had happened.

Tenchi got up and stood next to her, his mind still boggled by what he had seen. "Did you...did you die?" he asked.

"Well, yes. By the human definition, I guess I did. But I'm alive now, Tenchi. It's okay. We can do that, leave our bodies at will, and return to them. It's not usually necessary, and we rarely do it, but sometimes..." she let the sentence hang.

"Do you understand now, Tenchi? Do you know why I hesitated?"

Tenchi nodded. She hadn't done it for her own sake. She had done it for his. She felt it would only be fair to him to remind him that he was proposing marriage to a transcendent alien.

But she wasn't just a super-powerful being from another dimension. She was a human being, too. She talked, laughed, ate, took showers, went shopping. She could burp, sneeze, get sick, fight, and make love. She was pregnant, for crying out loud!

"That's my only condition, Tenchi," she said, interrupting his thoughts. "Can you accept that?"

He responded by taking her hand gently in his. He held it up, and slipped the ring onto her finger. Then he pulled her in, and she did not resist. Tenchi and his bride-to-be shared a long, deep kiss under the stars.


	9. Epilogue

A brief note: Sakuya's bride's maids were the two girls she hung out with in the series. I don't remember their names, so I made them up.

Epilogue

One Week Later

The wedding, Katsuhito had decided, was to be a mix of Japanese and Juraian custom. No one was disappointed; the setting could not have been more beautiful. Great paper streamers, designed by Sasami and Mihoshi, hung from the ceiling of the shrine. Ayeka and Sasami looked spectacular, their flowing gowns covering their feet. Kiyone and Mihoshi wore their dress uniforms, and stood stolidly to Tenchi's left. Washu and Ryoko stood to his right; the latter, despite Tenchi's objections, wore a low-cut red evening gown with a side-split that ran nearly halfway up her thigh.

Also present were friends the couple had not seen since their college days. Sakuya's bride's maids, Keiko and Ayami, were both incredibly beautiful, in white gowns that made it look as if they were the ones getting married.

He had been shocked when he saw Umonosuke and Amagasaki for the first time in over two years. The former, being older, had been chosen as best man, the latter the ring bearer.

Juraian weddings, Tenchi discovered, were a celebration of love and sexuality, in a very subtle way. The bride, since she would be technically a princess now, wore a small gold tiara, wreathed with tiny white flowers. Her outfit was not the standard gown and veil of American weddings, but a long, royal-blue gown-like garment with full sleeves and a high neckline. Only her head, hands, and toes were visible. Ryoko, strictly against the rules, had privately informed him that according to Juraian custom, she wore nothing under it. The thought was beginning to distract him.

Tenchi himself had taken out his pony-tail, revealing black hair that fell to the middle of his back.

With everyone present, and now silent, Katsuhito began an incantation, both in Japanese and Juraian, a language which captivated Tenchi with its eerie alien beauty.

The couple had chosen to speak their own vows.

"Sakuya," Tenchi said, gazing in awe at her upturned face, as he slipped the ring onto her finger, "when you were taken away from me two years ago, I felt like my very soul had been ripped from my body. I went through my life blindly, without purpose, just wanting the sun to rise on a new day, so that I would have a new chance to forget the pain.

"But I couldn't forget, Sakuya. Not you. Not the memories we shared, every kiss, every touch..."

She smiled fondly as he spoke the very words she had given him that sad day, in Yugi's lovely false paradise. He was finished now, and it was her turn.

"Tenchi," she said, "before I met you, I was completely lost. I was drifting around an alien world, full of people who claimed to know me, even though I had no idea who they truly were.

"I was originally sent here against my will, to seduce you. But the one who sent me thought that love was a controllable thing, that a human heart could be bound to a single will. That was her greatest mistake. You became my rock, my only life-raft.

"I'm not lost now, and I don't need you as much as I did then. But I want you even more, Tenchi Masaki. I have no desire to live in a world without you; I see no point in it. And you can rest in the knowledge that the horrible separation we went through that day will never happen again, unless death itself claims one of us."

She finished, and Katsuhito began the final incantation, asking them if they would accept one another as husband and wife. Of course, both agreed, and the priest closed the ceremony.

"Now then," he said, "having heard the pledge of eternal love and commitment between you, and in the presence of these witnesses and of the Supreme Creator of the Universe, it is my great honor to acknowledge your union, and to pronounce you one in body and in spirit."

He kissed both bride and groom on the tops of their heads, then stepped back, gesturing from Tenchi to Sakuya.

Tenchi gently wrapped his arms around his wife, and pressed his mouth firmly against hers. Even Ayeka joined the applause which erupted like thunder from the assembled family and guests.

Within a few minutes, they were all gone, having left the newlyweds to be alone.

"Tenchi," she said, blushing deeply,"if...you don't..."

"Shhhh," Tench said, silencing her with a finger on her lips. "Of course I do. Come on."

He led her down to the lake, and they stood together on the sandy shore. Tenchi was down to his boxers, having left his tux folded neatly on the dock. He felt an indescribable emotion as he watched her eyes roam his body.

He stepped in close to her and, reaching behind her, slowly drew down the zipper of her gown. She held her arms against her sides, and it slipped silently to the sand.

Ryoko had not been kidding. Even though he had seen it before, Tenchi could not help but stare in wordless awe at her body. With trembling hands, she pulled down his shorts until they joined her own clothing. Hand in hand, they walked out into the lake until they were treading water. There, she flung her arms and legs around him, and they consummated their marriage over the course of nearly an hour.

It was not the slow, languorous experience of their first night together, but a heart-pounding release of two weeks of pent-up desire, and it left them both breathless and exhausted.

They slept together beneath the great tree, on the island in the middle of the lake, bodies entwined, blissfully stupid grins on their faces, as they dreamed of the future.

-

Five months later

She entered the living room, puffing rapidly, her jogging clothes drenched in sweat, and plopped down on the couch next to Tenchi, hands on her bulging abdomen.

"Better go easy on yourself," Tenchi admonished, turning his attention away from the television. "You need the excercise, but I don't want either of you hurt." He gently poked her navel, indicating the other person in question.

"It was only about two kilometers, there and back," she said, "but my back is killing me! How can just a few extra kilos weigh so much?"

"I don't know," Tenchi said with a strange look. "You know, I never thought about that. You'd have to ask Washu."

She smiled as she thought of her unofficial obstetrician and adopted mother. The latter decision had been made as she was starting to show. The two had been close friends ever since her arrival at the house, and Washu, having taken de facto responsibility for her physical health and general wellbeing, had thought it wise to go ahead and formalize their relationship. With Ryoko as her older sister, and Kiyone as her best friend, she had blended in perfectly. Gone was the shy, fraglile-hearted teenager who had marched slowly into the living room that day, a zillion years ago. In her place was a grown woman who fought, laughed, and shared her emotions and life with people who were now as much her family as they were her husband's.

Tenchi had at first been desperately afraid that there would be a problem with them. But with a pleading look in his eyes, he had fulfilled his obligation, asking her what the fate of their strange little family would be.

As he had expected, the others would have to move out. As much as Sakuya loved, respected, and trusted them, having six other women living in the same house with her husband simply would not do. But the solution she had come up with next surprised him.

"Are you crazy?" he had demanded. "We don't have the money for that!"

"No, but Ayeka does, and your father has plenty, too." she had reminded him. "And we have good credit, so we can take out a loan to pay for the materials. It wouldn't be fair to put everything on them."

Three months, half a dozen contractors, and almost a million yen later, Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Washu were living in a comfortable dorm-like house right next door to the Masakis. And Sakuya had made certain the girls knew that they were welcome to come over any time. After all, they were family. She liked to think of them as in-laws.

Presently, she pecked him on the mouth, and stood. "I'm going to go take a nap. Wake me when dinner is ready. Don't worry, I won't eat everything!"

-

Three months later

Tenchi was at school. He was concentrating like mad on the test in front of him; Nagumo had made it no secret that the grading would be particularly merciless on this one, as it was the semester exam.

He nearly had a heart attack when the PA speaker blared Nagumo's name.

"Yes?" Nagumo grunted.

"Is Tenchi Masaki in class?"

"Yes, he is."

"Could you tell him to come to the front office please? And to bring his things."

Nagumo told Tenchi that he was expected to complete the test at home. When the puzzled young man arrived in the office, he was shocked to find Kiyone and a wide-eyed Ayeka waiting for him.

"Girls, what's--"

"Tenchi," Kiyone said sharply. "Come home, now!"

Ayeka had broken every speed limit in the prefecture getting them home, and Tenchi jogged through the front door just in time to here someone scream the word "Push!"

He nearly killed himself in the race to Washu's lab.

"PUSH! Come on, PUSH! Just a few more!" Washu shouted.

"I CANT! I going to split in half!" Sakuya screeched with equal vigor. She was on her back on the exam table, feet in the makeshift stirrups, legs splayed.

"Yes, you can!" Washu encouraged. "Here comes another one, you're almost done!"

Sakuya gave an ear-splitting scream as another contraction gripped her. Tenchi gave her his hand, and she squeezed it until he was sure she would break his fingers. She huffed and puffed, cheeks billowing out as she tried the Lamaz technique. It was not helping.

Her final scream of pain was accompanied by the howl of an irate infant, and whoops of joy from the assembled family as the shreaking, blood-covered child slid out of Sakuya and into Washu's waiting arms. "It's a boy!" she shouted over the din.

She handed Tenchi the traditional scissors, not trusting anyone with her expensive medical lasers, and he cut the cord. Washu cleaned the child over a sink, swathed him in a towel, and placed the newborn in his mother's arms.

Sakuya smiled, sighing with relief as she cradled her son against her chest. "That hurt," she whispered to him. It was half chuckle, half wince. "You're grounded."

Tenchi smiled as he stroked her hair. "I don't think he cares, sweetheart."

-

Sixteen years later

Again and again, Tenchi dodged the wildly flying bokken, just as his grandfather had done while training him. He grunted as his opponent scored a lucky hit on his gut. He parried a long series of swipes, and finally was able to disarm the boy, watching the bokken skitter across the ground. He held the point against the young man's throat.

Ryu Kumashiro held up a hand in submission, and Tenchi eased off. "You did good that time, son. You almost had me." Ryu, of course, was biologically not Tenchi's son. But the adpotion papers made biology irrelevant, and Tenchi loved the boy just the same.

"Don't worry," Ryu said, "I'll get you next time, old man."

"I look forward to it," Tenchi bragged. "But your technique is still a little off. You're too aggressive. Pay more attention to defense, and don't attack until you're sure it safe."

Tenchi reached out his hand, and Ryu shook it firmly.

He was a handsome lad, drawing almost as much female attention as Tenchi had in his own youth. As Tenchi had been told, Ryu looked like his mother. The predominant female genes in him gave him the classic bi-shonen look. His straight coal-black hair--one of Sakuya's features--hung to his shoulders, and a cowl-lick hung stubbornly over one of his blue eyes. He was lean and muscular, and a tough opponent in a fight. The few times Tenchi had seen him get angry, the destruction he was capable of had been frightening.

"Come on, Ryu, let's go get some lunch," Tenchi said waving him over.

As they walked, Tenchi gave him a sly grin. "Anything on your mind?" He knew Ryu was thinking about the female classmate that Tenchi had seen him talking to while picking him up from school.

"Mariko," Ryu answered with a rueful smile. "Her name's Mariko. And God yes, she looks good."

"Just go easy on her," Tenchi advised. "That's how your mom got me."

"Oh, man, come on!" Ryu scoffed.

"No, I'm not bragging," Tenchi said earnestly. "I'm serious, she was after me! She was a little agressive at first, but she grew on me."

"Obviously," Ryu chuckled.

"Hey, easy on the dirty jokes," Tenchi said, lowering his voice irately.

-

When they got back to the house, Sakuya had already prepared lunch. "So, how did it go?" Sakuya asked, winking at Ryu.

"Oh, same old thing," Ryu waved dismissively. "I whipped his butt again." He winked back at her.

"Oooohhhh, Mister Undefeated," Miyako said sarcastically, her smile showing that she was joking.

Tenchi's daughter, his real daughter, was thirteen, and developing the characteristic rebellious streak that went along with her age. Middle school had made her every inch the snooty, prim-and-proper courtesan that Ayeka had been. But when it came down to it, she had a sweetness that ensured she would be there for you when it really counted.

-

Tenchi was sitting up in his bed, reading a novel. Sakuya sat on the opposite edge of the bed in her nightgown, picking the tangles out of her hair with a big comb. "So, he beat you again, huh?"

"Naagghh," Tenchi said. "Not quite. But he came close a few times; he's getting better. He's a good kid, that boy of yours."

"He's your boy, too, you know," she corrected, sliding under the covers next to him

"I know," Tenchi sighed. "But its...somehow it's just not the same as it is with Miyako."

"Miyako came from you, Tenchi." she said quietly. She reached up and brushed a lock of hair from his face. "She's part of your own flesh and blood, and Ryu isn't. But he's still your son, as much as mine. The boy practically worships you. Is that what makes you nervous? Being such a roll model?"

"I guess," Tenchi said, then shook his head. After sixteen years of marriage, he was still as indecisive as ever.

Sakuya reached across him toward the bedside lamp, then stopped. "Oh yeah, speaking of kids..." she dug around in the nightstand drawer, and tossed him an object that looked vaguely like a digital thermometer. But in place of a digital display, it had a piece of white fabric. On the fabric was a wide pink stripe.

Tenchi Masaki seized his wife and drew her toward him in a crushing hug.

THE END. 


End file.
